Chapter 348

AURELIA’S POV The journey back from the Moon Palace was quiet — too quiet. The forest stretched endlessly around us, silver light spilling through the canopy, glinting off the armor of the royal guards who escorted us part of the way before peeling off into the shadows. The only sound that lingered was the rhythmic clatter of hooves and the wind brushing against the leaves. Neither of us spoke. Not when we crossed the border of the neutral lands, not when the faint scent of our pack began to drift in the air. The silence between us wasn’t comfortable. It was the kind that hummed with things left unsaid — sharp, heavy, deliberate. Derek rode ahead at first, his posture rigid, his expression unreadable. The moonlight caught in his dark hair, outlining the edges of his face, but his eyes stayed fixed on the road. I could tell by the way his jaw tightened that his mind was miles away. Finally, as the sound of the river came into earshot, he spoke — his voice low but steady. “We’re safe now