Her hand drifted to her shoulder again, fingers brushing the throbbing mark. It pulsed faintly beneath her skin, a reminder of what she had become, of the choice she had made under the full moon, and of what she could no longer undo.
Her jaw tightened in the gray morning light.
Whatever waited for her in Valeria, she would face it alone. That was the only path she had accepted.
Still, something deeper questioned what it would cost her. The bond whispered back faintly as Thessian's presence returned up the stairs: not an ending, but a thread that refused to break.
The apartment door opened with a quiet click. Liora turned toward it at once, as if some instinct had been waiting for that exact sound. She had not realized she was listening for him. The mark on her shoulder warmed in silent recognition.
