= Amara =
Silence stretched between us, taut and expectant, like the moment before a storm finally breaks.
Lorne was the first to speak. His voice was measured, careful, but the concern beneath it was unmistakable. “That’s… a risk, Miss Amara.”
I met his gaze without flinching. “So is everything about this,” I said evenly. “Nothing about the Moon Forest has ever been safe.”
Mikael exhaled slowly beside me, the sound low and controlled. His eyes never left my face. I could almost see the conflict playing out behind them—alpha instinct warring with belief, duty colliding with something far more personal. Fear pulled one way. Trust pulled the other.
For a long moment, he said nothing.
Then he nodded.
“Alright,” he said at last. “We’ll go with that.”
Caryl blinked, her grip tightening
