Chapter 70

• The sun had just begun to set, casting a warm, golden glow over the landscape. It was the kind of sunset that should have felt peaceful, but all I could feel was the heavy weight of everything that had happened, everything we had lost. The graveyard was still, the silence almost suffocating as the last of the pack members drifted away, leaving Leo and me alone.
• Leo had been standing by Caleb’s grave for a long time, his expression unreadable. I watched him, feeling a knot tighten in my chest. I knew that underneath the stoic exterior, he was hurting just as much as I was—maybe even more. The responsibilities of being the alpha weighed on him heavily, and I could see it in the way his shoulders were set, tense and rigid.
• Finally, he turned to me, his eyes softening as they met mine. “Selene,” he said quietly, his voice carrying a weariness that matched the way I felt. “Can we talk?”