Chapter 106

Opal's POV

The night was suffocating.

It pressed down on the forest clearing like a wet, heavy shroud, thick with ancient tension that seemed to slither through the branches above, curl around their ankles, and cling to the wolves like a second skin. Shadows bled out from the fire's edge, flickering in violent spasms as the flames spat embers into the void.

Sage. Lavender. And something else—something unholy—burned in the fire. The smoke curled like claws in the air, tasting of rot and memory.

Opal stood at the center of it all.

Waiting.

Dreading.

She hadn't wanted an audience. She'd begged Ash to let her do it alone, to keep the others out of it. But no. If she was going to plunge into the dark, if she was going to rip her mind open and face the veil—then her pack would be there to drag her out of it.

Just in case.

Just in case she didn't come back whole.

Or didn't come back at all.