Chapter 38 The Light's Burden

Morgan POV The forest feels alive again as we step back through the rift, the air sharp with pine and earth, the river’s rush a steady pulse under the midday sun. Fynn’s hand is warm in mine, her gold light dim but present, a soft glow under her skin that marks her as something more—Warden, protector, pack. She’s here, solid, her smile faint but real, and it’s enough to keep the ache in my chest from swallowing me whole. But her eyes carry a weight, a knowing that wasn’t there before, and it twists in me, a fear I can’t shake—she’s safe, but she’s changed, and I don’t know what that costs her.