Ariane:
Varek's footsteps echoed in the quiet as he led me through the Silverfang territory, his presence looming behind me like a dark cloud. The space between us was suffocating, yet his shadow clung to me, wrapping around my heart and mind until I couldn't think of anything else but its weight. And then there was Kaelen's voice. The way he sentenced me to banishment—no, to death, even though I hadn't killed his father, even though I had never intended to harm anyone.
Now, I was walking with the vampire king, my future uncertain, my soul restless.
We reached my cottage at the edge of the territory. What had once been my sanctuary now felt like a prison.
The air around me thickened with the weight of memories—the soft scent of lavender, the lingering warmth of the hearth, the quiet
