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97. In the arms of her Mate

Author: Priyal Dessai
last update Last Updated: 2024-12-04 04:44:14

[ELARA]

When I blink my eyes open, a cold, sharp pain greets me like an unwelcome guest that has overstayed its visit. It’s the kind of ache that feels as though it’s always been there, settling deep in the marrow of my bones. A phantom sensation of suffering, both distant and immediate.

This is rebirth, is the first coherent thought in my fractured mind. I was dead. But now, I’m not.

The second thought strikes harder, cutting through the haze: Magnus is my mate.

I try to rise, but the room spins violently, and a hiss escapes my lips. The pain is cold and numbing, seeping under my skin like ice. It’s there but not there, agonizing yet strangely soothing. My body feels foreign, as if I’m inhabiting a vessel I don’t entirely recognize.

A soft hand presses down on my forehead, gentle but firm. “Oh, you’re awake.”

The voice is familiar, and yet it feels like hearing it from underwater. Daphne?

Caelondor. I’m in Caelondor.

Confusion rolls in waves, mixing with the relentless dizziness. How
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