Chapter168: Endora

|| Lilac’s POV || The forest beyond Alaric's packhouse was alive with the scent of damp earth and pine, the towering trees casting long shadows across the narrow dirt path. Alaric walked ahead of me, his broad shoulders blocking most of the afternoon sun, his strides purposeful but unhurried. I trailed behind, my fingers brushing against the ferns that lined the trail, their leaves cool and slightly damp beneath my touch. "She doesn’t see many outsiders," Alaric said, glancing back at me. "But if anyone can help you understand what’s happening with Runa, it’s Endora." I nodded, though my stomach twisted at the mention of my missing wolf. Dormant. Not missing. That’s what everyone kept saying, as if Runa were merely sleeping and not gone, her presence in my mind replaced by an echoing silence that made my chest ache. The path sloped downward, leading to a small clearing where a weathered cottage stood, its wooden walls covered in ivy, smoke curling lazily from the stone chimney. The air