Chapter 48 The Branches

• Bertha's POV
• This night is particularly restless within the forest. The only sounds are the crisp crunch of frost underfoot, along with an occasional sigh of wind through the branches, as I scan the shadowy expanse of Wrenwood. My patrol keeps me within earshot of the training grounds; thus, the noises of the on-going trial filters through the trees. A periodic cheer or growl rouses something deep in my chest, a longing, a pang I can't quiet down.
• I know Ethan's out there. My heart clutches at the thought of him, scrutinized and mocked and tested in ways I couldn't protect him from. But he will have to endure-he had to.