Chapter 24 The Rift Widens

• The battle had ended, but the aftermath lingered like a heavy fog. Meher stood in the center of the valley, her heart still racing, the remnants of the Alpha's shadow magic still hanging in the air. The valley had once been a place of peace, a sacred ground that had held the Heartstone for centuries, but now it felt tainted, as though the very earth beneath her feet had been scarred by the darkness that had tried to consume them.
• Ayaan stood beside her, his hand still holding hers, but the weight of their shared understanding was heavy. The Alpha had fled, but the threat he posed had not disappeared. Meher could feel it in the pit of her stomach—the knowledge that this was only the beginning.
• "We can't keep running from this," Meher murmured, her voice soft but filled with determination. "The Alpha is just one part of the darkness. It's spreading. And if we don't stop it now, we won't be able to."