Chapter 44 Shadows Gather

• The path back to Dawnridge felt both familiar and strange. Ivy’s feet moved with purpose, but beneath her skin burned something new — the steady, glowing pulse of the First Flame. It was a power ancient and alive, threading through her blood like a river of light. The warmth was comforting yet heavy, a reminder of the responsibility now resting on her shoulders.
• Kael walked beside her, his own eyes shimmering faintly gold as if the flame had touched him, too. He was quiet, watching the forest around them with a warrior’s vigilance, every muscle coiled to spring. The woods had changed since they left; the silence had deepened, as if the trees themselves were holding their breath, waiting.
• “We need to tell the council,” Kael finally broke the silence. “Your bond with the Flame — it shifts everything. The packs need to know.”