The forest did not return to normal after Kael left.
Elara felt it in the way the air refused to settle, in the way silence lingered just a fraction too long between the sounds of distant movement. Even the wind seemed to hesitate, as if something larger than instinct had passed through and left the world slightly altered behind it.
Or maybe it was her.
She stood where everything had shifted, aware of Rowan beside her without needing to look at him. His presence did not press against her the way Kael's had, did not demand space or attention, yet it remained impossible to ignore.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. Not because there was nothing to say. Because too much had just happened to reduce it to simple words.
Elara exhaled slowly, her fingers still faintly tingling from where his touch had brushed against her arm. It lingered in a way that didn't feel invasive or overwhelming. It stayed quiet, almost patient, as if it trusted her to decide what to do with it.
