#Chapter 118: The Echoes of Memory

ELENA The fire pit was little more than a ring of scorched stones now, filled with white ash and the collapsed skeletons of logs. Charcoal dust stained the edges of the grass, a faint outline of where the flames had lived. The scent of woodsmoke still hung in the air, sharp and lingering, but it was fading fast—already being swallowed up by the pine-heavy quiet of the forest. I stood there, hands in the pockets of my jacket, staring into the dead fire. This was where they’d taken him. Where they’d dragged my son into the woods. Where they’d made Derek shift and chase and choose. Aiden had been standing right here. Sleeping feet from this spot. My throat tightened. “How did it happen?” I asked without turning around. Behind me, I heard Derek shift his stance. Pine needles crunched beneath his boots. The fire of his presence was always so near—whether I wanted it or not. “He’d just gone to pee,” Derek said, voice quiet. “I followed him partway. Just to keep him in sight. Th