Chapter 49: Hidden Manipulations

I staggered out of the heart chamber, my body still humming with the residual energy of Silverwood’s core.

My vision swam as the intense light faded behind me, leaving me standing in the dim, eerie quiet of the forest.

Every muscle ached, and my mind buzzed with the remnants of the trial. The ancient voice, the flickering form of my parents, Alaric’s malevolent sneer—everything haunted my thoughts.

But there was no time to rest. Silverwood was still under siege, and Alaric’s forces were growing bolder with each passing minute.

I needed to get back to the pack, to find Rowan, Gideon, and the others. They needed to know what I had uncovered.

I forced myself to move, pushing through the thick underbrush, the trees closing in around me like silent sentinels. The night was unnervingly still, as if the forest itself was holding its breath.

I could sense something lurking just beyond my sight, an invisible presence that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

As I broke throu