Chapter 215 DANE I look down at the glowing runes on my chest , still too warm to seem quite real .

Yeah , I say , but the heaviness of Liriens words clings to the back of my mind .

The grove is well , but at what cost remains to be seen .

The pack steps into the resurgence of life forced onto the grove .

Their eyes were wide in features still covered with some incredulity , they slowly went inside the clearing , looking between shining trees and restored roots .

Beautiful , someone finally whispers , breaking the awed silence .

Lirien stands at the edge of the clearing ; his form now is much more solid , nearly human .

The glow emanating from inside the grove steadies it , lending him an air of quiet authority .

The curse is broken , he states with solemnity .

Now , for once , the pack can fully flourish as it deserves .

Aurora releases my hand and steps forward .

Her eyes scan the grove , pride , and anguish wrestling for dominance in their vibrancy .

Chapter 215 2/6 Lirien cocks its head to one side .

The grove has accepted your sacrifice , it says .

But your mortal ties to the pack have saved you .

The balance is restored , and your bond is no longer required to sustain it .

I watch the tension that has weighed on Auroras shoulders since this began to ease a little , her shoulders relaxing , and for the first time in days , she seems at peace .

The pack closes in , voices rising as talk starts about what this means to all of us .

Gone is the weight of the curse , and with it the divisions that plagued us for generations .

I see Piper laughing with Warrick , the two of them trading .

banter like none of the horrors we faced just happened .

Trajan stands a little distant , his expression guarded , his guilt loud in the way he refuses to meet anyones gaze .

Ill make it right , he mutters , to himself , not to anyone else .

I dont approach him .

Not yet .

back to my side , her hand brushing mine as we leave

starts to follow , their footsteps lighter

Broken Ridge

clear , the tension that once clung to us

packhouse , the ruins that once spoke of our brokenness

spirits

at a time , I mutter to myself , and

the garden at the back of the

smelling of earth and greenery mixed with

beside me on a stone bench , her fingers

, we say nothing ; the silence

chest , tracing the runes with her fingers where they glow in

it hurt ? she asks

, offering a small smile

Not anymore .

her gaze falling to the joined hands

dont know what this means

you didnt choose

her

, but you carried

So can I .

in a faint smile , even as

figure it out together

long shadows

215 onto

until a faint howl

sound that raises the hairs on the back of your neck

beside me , snapping her eyes toward

that ? I nod

Yeah .

sharpen as we gaze

howl isnt repeated , but the unease it leaves

was that ? she whispers ,

know , I admit , my hand instinctively going to

garden feels different now ,

replaced by a

, but something else

of the grove stretches across the horizon , bathing everything in silver light

twisted and corrupted , now hum with life , their Juminous fruit swaying gently in

to Aurora , her hand

to be exhausted , with only shallow breaths escaping her mouth , but

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