Chapter Twenty-Two: Behind the Shadows

In a hidden, shadowed location, a figure stood in silence, frustration simmering beneath the surface. She slammed her phone down after the call ended, her voice sharp with anger.

“Damn it!” The curse echoed through the dimly lit room, but the figure remained cloaked in darkness, her identity concealed.

“Who could have thought Ella was the highly sought healer?" she muttered, her voice low and indistinct filled with venom.

The figure paced, clearly unsettled, her movements deliberate, as though calculating her next steps. “I will do everything within my power to make sure she doesn’t return to the South.” She clenched their fists, resolving to stop her at all costs.

Meanwhile, in the quiet of the hospital, Ella slowly stirred, her eyelids heavy as she struggled to wake. The first sensation that hit her was the dull, throbbing ache in her limbs, a persistent reminder of the attack she’d endured. Her body was weak, and with each attempt to move, pain surged through her, making her gasp s