138. (CASSY POV)

(CASSY POV)

Leila always said I would recognize my mate the instant I saw him, and as it turned out, she was right.

Before I even walked up to them, I caught sight of his eyes and that ever-present ballcap. He had a habit of turning it in a different direction every few minutes, each gesture catching my attention more than the last. He was intriguing. Undeniably so.

Hearing Sky talk about her almost otherworldly experiences in the bayou had always drawn me in.

Her life seemed like a saga from another realm compared to mine, and I absorbed every story, never imagining how these tales might soon intersect with my own life.

As the evening wore on, and the plan for the night was set in stone, a stillness settled over the camp. There was a gap of about five hours until everything was supposed to start. It was during this lull that Teddy leaned in close.

"Hey, can you come with me for a walk through the bayou?" he asked.

I hesitated, glancing back at the tent. My brothers and father might