Ember could not breathe.
The world had shrunk to one point: Maelis’ body, broken and still before her. Every instinct screamed that she should reach out, hold her, pull her back—but there was nothing left to pull. Nothing left to save.
The bond—the false bond she had clung to, believed in, trusted—was gone. And with it, Maelis’ presence had been ripped from her mind in a way that left a jagged emptiness. It throbbed behind her ribs, an ache that refused to be ignored.
“I… I killed her,” Ember whispered, voice raw and cracking. “I—I hurt her…”
She pressed her palms into the cold earth, trying to feel anything solid, anything tangible. Vespera raged beneath her skin, teeth bared and claws unsheathed in frustration.
No! the wolf growled. This isn’t you! You didn’t—
“Yes, it is!” Ember s
