SERAPHINA’S POV
Sabrina’s words lingered long after she led me back toward the heart of the pack.
‘…every kindness, every admiration—it’s because of you, Sera. If you don’t believe that, you might miss out on something beautiful.’
Something shifted inside me when she said that. As if a door I hadn’t realized was closed quietly opened.
I had lived so much of my life in quiet survival mode. Watchful. Guarded. Expecting the next collapse before even allowing myself to stand.
But now… I’d left that behind, hadn’t I? Somewhere between my father’s funeral and this mountain air, I had stepped out into something unfamiliar, fragile. Beautiful.
And I didn’t have to fear it.
Alina murmured quietly within me, warm and approving. ‘We already survived. Now we learn how to live.’
So, as evening fell, instead of second-guessing each step, I allowed myself to explore Shadowveil with a lighter heart.
