#Chapter 198 – Into Tomorrow

Lila “Finally, some quiet.” I muttered to myself. The cabin was blissfully still. For once, the air wasn’t thick with the babies’ cries. They both slept curled in their baskets, soft breaths puffing against the fabric of the blanket. It was rare, this kind of quiet. Rare enough that I didn’t waste it. I closed my eyes, sinking into the hush, and felt Ruby blaze inside me. Her presence no longer flickered weakly at the edges of my mind; she was steady now, fierce, her strength spilling into my very essence. I could feel her heartbeat layered with mine, her protective growl rumbling. We are whole again, she whispered, her voice both command and comfort. No poison will chain us. No fear will drown us. Let’s go for a proper run. Tears stung my eyes, but this time not from grief. From happiness. I only remembered shifting once as a child, before Ruby was suppressed, and I couldn’t stop marveling at being able to do it now. The knock at the door startled me. Sharp, urgent.