Chapter 4 — The First Change

Selina

The forest was alive with whispers—branches creaked, leaves murmured underfoot, and the chill of the night seemed to crawl beneath Selina’s skin. Her breath hung in the air in frosty puffs, though she barely noticed. Her legs screamed with each step, the muscles quivering from hours of running, but she refused to stop. Darian’s broad figure forged forward ahead of her, his movements deliberate, assured, as though he were one with the gnarled trees around them. In contrast, Selina stumbled after him, her heart pounding like a trapped bird in her chest.