Chapter 72 The Weight Of Staying

• The drive back to Talawan was quieter than usual. The hum of the engine filled the cabin, a steady rhythm beneath the soft rattle of the heater fan. Outside, the world was still a sheet of gray and white, snow gathering over the road in patches. The landscape looked endless, frozen, yet somehow lighter after the chaos of the morning.
• Daren’s hands stayed firm on the wheel, his knuckles pale against the black gloves. He hadn’t spoken much since they left the drop site, and Lucy didn’t push him. The fight against the Ferals had drained them both — not just in body, but in spirit. She could still hear the shrieks, the scraping claws against metal, the shouts of soldiers trying to protect civilians.
• Her heart clenched at the memory of a mother clutching her child behind a barricade while Daren swung a pipe like it weighed nothing. He had fought close — always keeping her within sight. A true Shield.