Chapter 53 By The Riverbank

• ~ Elara ~
• The night air was crisp as it kissed my skin, cool and refreshing compared to the thick, stifling atmosphere of the packhouse. I walked with no particular destination in mind, just desperate for some space away from the tension, away from the questions I didn’t have answers to, and most of all, away from Thorne. The forest surrounding Stormhowl was eerily quiet, save for the rustle of leaves beneath my feet and the occasional hoot of an owl in the distance. The path was unfamiliar, but the scent of the trees and the earth beneath me was comforting in a way I hadn’t expected. I was a stranger here, but the forest… the forest felt familiar.
• I needed this. Time to breathe, time to think. Being surrounded by Thorne’s pack was suffocating, especially with the weight of their expectations hanging over me. Every glance felt like a judgment, every silence a challenge. Even Thorne, with his desperate need to prove something to me, added to the pressure I couldn’t escape. It felt like no one understood what I was going through. I wasn’t just some prize to be fought over.