#Chapter 139: The Binding of Souls

ELENA The path wound back toward the packhouse, soft and familiar beneath my boots. The sunlight had grown sharper, more golden, but it did nothing to thaw the knot of cold sitting heavy in my chest. I walked beside Derek, every step humming with tension I couldn’t fully name. He didn’t say anything. Didn’t crowd me. He just stayed close enough that I could feel him if I needed to—solid, steady, warm. Part of me hated how much I noticed it. How much I wanted to lean toward him without thinking. I could still feel the echoes of what the Priestess had told us thrumming through my body, coiling tight around my ribs. Sealed. Soul-bound. Forever. I stole a glance at Derek, catching the profile of his strong jaw, the faint crease between his brows. He wasn't smiling. He wasn’t gloating. If anything, he looked almost...careful. Like he knew exactly how fragile I felt and was trying not to push too hard. And gods, wasn’t that just like him lately? The Derek I rememb