Chapter 77
Kael did not know how long he had been running. At some point, it stopped feeling like a choice. His body kept moving even when he tried to slow down, as if something inside him refused to let him stay still for too long. The ground passed beneath him in uneven bursts, each step heavier than it should have been, cracking the earth under the force of it. His breathing was wrong, too fast and too sharp, like it could not keep up with what was building inside him.
The storm had not settled since he lost control. If anything, it had grown worse, pressing against his chest until it felt like it might tear through him at any moment. He tried to stop once, forcing his claws into the ground, dragging them through the dirt to anchor himself. For a second, it worked. His body slowed just enough for him to pull in a breath. Then the storm pushed back, hard, surging through him and forcing him forward again. The resistance only made it worse, like it needed him to keep moving.
