Chapter 28 Hidden Beast

• ISOLDE
• The forest welcomed us with its evening breath; it was cool, damp, and carried the smell of wet leaves. It wrapped around me, seeping into my bones like freedom itself. My chest loosened for the first time in days.
• The weight I carried seemed lighter, replaced by a kind of wild relief. I could almost hear laughter that wasn’t mine; it was my sister’s, and it made me smile before the sound even reached my ears.