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chapter 81

Author: Ivana Jameson
last update Last Updated: 2025-01-21 00:19:46

JAKE'S POV

The world felt colder without her by my side. Every step I took away from that chasm was like ripping apart a piece of my soul, leaving me raw and exposed. The pack bond that connected Prisca and me hummed faintly, reassuring me that she was still alive, but it wasn’t enough. I needed to see her, to hold her, to know she was safe.

"Jake," Sophie said, snapping me out of my thoughts. She stood a few feet ahead, her bow drawn, her sharp gaze scanning the twisted forest around us. "You’ve got to focus. This place isn’t going to give us the luxury of distractions."

“I’m fine,” I lied, gripping the hilt of my sword tighter.

"Sure you are," she muttered, but she didn’t press further.

The forest on our side of the chasm was just as suffocating, maybe worse. The trees were skeletal and clawed at the sky, their bark blackened as if burned. The air smelled of decay, and an eerie mist curled around our feet. Even the shadows here felt alive, shifting unnaturally when we moved.
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