Keya's POV:
The forest was colder once we were out of the tiny room we were locked in. The air was sharp with pine and dirt, but it still reeked faintly of blood and magic.
Rafe limped beside me, leaning heavily on my shoulder. His steps dragged more with each passing second. I could feel how much he was hurting — the way his weight pressed into me, his breaths getting shallower, the tremble in his body. Every time he winced, my stomach twisted.
He was barely holding on.
The trees thinned, and just ahead, movement caught my eye. Fur. Shadows.
“Wait,” I whispered, tensing. But then I heard it.
“Keya!” Brandon’s voice shouted. "Keya? Keya."
Relief crashed over me like a wave.
"Brand, I am here," I shouted, sniffing. "Goddess, Brand..."
He burst through the treeline, followed by Lark
