Chapter 1178

The walk was long, but they didn't speak much. Words felt too small for what they'd just survived. Instead, they focused on each other-the steady rhythm of their breaths, the warmth of their hands linked together, the quiet strength of their bond. When Rose stumbled, Jude and Sophie were there to catch her. When fear flickered in her eyes, it was Lucy's quiet presence, Zoey's soft encouragement, Scarlet's steady hand that kept her going.

By the time they reached the cliffs, the sun was high, casting the sea below in brilliant blue and silver. The wind whipped around them, cool and clean, carrying away some of the weight of the night. They found shelter in a hollow of rock, a place they'd camped before, where they could see the forest and the sea both, where nothing could approach without being seen.