Romance

  Celena&#39;s Perspective
  Brett was dead.
  This struck my mind like a heavy hammer, reverberating repeatedly, yet I couldn&#39;t truly understand it. How could that be? That Brett who always wore a helpless smile, secretly brought me food and medicine, and told me in my darkest years that there was still sunshine and forests outside? The Brett who told me, &quot;Live on, Celena, just for yourself&quot;? Even my name was given to me by him. &nbsp;
  My heart felt as if it were being clutched by an invisible hand, aching so much that I couldn&#39;t breathe. Fragments of memory uncontrollably welled up: the cold and damp stone walls of the dungeon, Brett&#39;s focused profile as he carefully treated my wound, his low voice telling me stories about the outside world, about the city, about freedom, and the silent clenched and loosened fists when he was mocked by his fellow hunters for bei

  Celena&#39;s POV
  Run, just keep running. The wind tore at my fur, but it couldn&#39;t carry away the pain in my heart. &nbsp;The scenery in the forest blurred into a dark stream of light. I just wanted to get far away from there, away from that cold, deathly aura, away from those silent faces, away from... him.
  I finally exhausted myself and stopped by a strange lake. When transforming back into human form, my&nbsp;legs gave way and I&nbsp;immediately knelt down on the moist soil and fallen leaves. &nbsp;The cold air was inhaled into my lungs, as if it were carrying ice chips, causing me to cough in pain for a while. &nbsp;
  Tears burst without warning, not silent weeping, but heart-wrenching wailing. &nbsp;I pounded the ground hard until my knuckles turned red and cracked. &nbsp;Why? &nbsp;Why Brett? &nbsp;Why Jacob? 
  It felt&nbsp;like there were&nbsp;two people frantically tug

  Celena&#39;s Perspective
  Something... shattered.
  Through that warm field of the soul that connects all of us, a bone-chilling wave suddenly swept over. &nbsp;Sadness, like a soaked blanket covering the mouth and nose, pain, sharp as shards of glass stirring, and... fear, a heavy and guilt-ridden fear. 
  My heart skipped a beat. What happened? Jacob? Lily?
  “What&#39;s wrong, everyone?” I tentatively probed the link, as if touching fragile butterfly wings. No response. There was only a oppressive silence, so heavy that it was suffocating. The link remained, but it felt... distant, as if I were separated by an invisible glass barrier.
  “Jacob?” I tried again, calling the name that brought me comfort, the one I subconsciously believed was bound to my fate. What came back through the link was... chaotic darkness, intense physical pain, and a deeper, swampy emotion I couldn&#39;t fat

Celena&#39;s Perspective
  Brett was dead.
  This struck my mind like a heavy hammer, reverberating repeatedly, yet I couldn&#39;t truly understand it. How could that be? That Brett who always wore a helpless smile, secretly brought me food and medicine, and told me in my darkest years that there was still sunshine and forests outside? The Brett who told me, &quot;Live on, Celena, just for yourself&quot;? Even my name was given to me by him. &nbsp;
  My heart felt as if it were being clutched by an invisible hand, aching so much that I couldn&#39;t breathe. Fragments of memory uncontrollably welled up: the cold and damp stone walls of the dungeon, Brett&#39;s focused profile as he carefully treated my wound, his low voice telling me stories about the outside world, about the city, about freedom, and the silent clenched and loosened fists when he was mocked by his fellow hunters for being weak... He was the only light during those years of imprisonment. &nbsp;He was not a relative, b

Chapter 185