Chapter 146
The silence left behind by Vaelor did not settle into relief. It held, stretched tightly across the clearing, as if the world itself had not decided whether it was safe to breathe again.
Kael did not move at first.
His arm remained firm around Ariana, holding her against him while his chest rose and fell in controlled breaths that did not fully steady. The storm beneath his skin had quieted, but it had not disappeared, and the Lycan that had risen earlier lingered just beneath the surface, watchful and restless.
Ariana felt it clearly.
Her hand stayed pressed against his chest, grounding herself in the rhythm of his heartbeat, even as her own breathing remained uneven. The pull inside her had weakened, but it had not vanished, and the absence of Vaelor's presence only made that fact harder to ignore.
Neither of them spoke.
They didn't need to.
The shift came anyway.
