Sierra’s breath hitched as she stepped further into the shadows of the trees, the world around her closing in.
Tonight, the forest felt like a labyrinth, one she had entered by choice and yet felt trapped in at the same time. Rowan moved silently beside her, his presence an unnerving reminder of everything she had tried to avoid. He didn’t rush her. He didn’t need to. The challenge in his eyes was enough to push her forward, step by cautious step.
She had come back. Against her better judgment, against everything she had tried to convince herself, she had returned. The words he had spoken in the woods last night echoed in her mind:
“Come back tomorrow—unless you’re scared.”
She hated that she felt the pull of his challenge, hated that a part of her couldn’t resist it, no matter how wrong it seemed. And yet, here she was, walking deeper into the unclaimed forest, farther from any patrol paths, farther from everything familiar.
The farther they went, the quieter the forest became, as though it was holding its breath in anticipation of whatever was to come next. The trees, tall and dense, loomed above them, their shadows stretching long and unnerving in the dim light. And all Sierra could hear was the steady rhythm of her own heartbeat and the soft crunch of Rowan’s boots against the ground.
“I didn’t think you’d actually come back,” Rowan said, his voice breaking the stillness between them.
He had been waiting for her, and Sierra wasn’t sure if that made her more uncomfortable or intrigued. She had thought about turning around, about walking back and pretending this whole thing didn’t happen. But the moment she saw him standing at the edge of the woods, his presence like a shadow, she had found herself walking forward, unable to stop.
“I didn’t think I would either,” she replied, her voice colder than she felt.
She didn’t know why she was here, but she knew that something inside her had been broken by Kellan’s betrayal, and somehow, Rowan was the only one who seemed to recognize it.
Rowan didn’t say anything for a moment. Instead, he led the way through the thick underbrush, his movements fluid and easy, like he belonged here. Like this forest, this path, was part of him. Sierra followed, her steps slower, more deliberate. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was walking deeper into something she couldn’t control.
They walked in silence for a long time, the only sound the rustling of the trees above and the occasional crack of a twig underfoot.
Sierra didn’t know what to say.
What could she say?
Everything felt wrong, but it also felt like the only thing she could do was keep walking. Keep following him. There was no turning back now.
Finally, Rowan stopped and turned to face her. His expression was unreadable, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes—a quiet intensity that made Sierra’s heart skip.
“You don’t talk much, do you?” he asked, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. His voice was still soft, but there was a bite to it, something that made it impossible to ignore.
Sierra hesitated, her mind racing as she tried to form the right words. The truth was, she didn’t talk much because she didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know how to explain the mess of emotions swirling inside her. She didn’t know how to explain that she was here, walking through the forest with her sworn enemy, the heir to Shadowfen, because she had nowhere else to go.
“I don’t have much to say,” she finally admitted, her voice quieter than before.
Rowan’s gaze softened for just a moment, a rare break in his usually unflinching demeanor.
“That’s not entirely true,” he said, his voice almost gentle. “You just don’t know how to say it. You’re not ready to face it yet.”
Sierra felt her chest tighten at his words. She didn’t want him to be right, didn’t want him to peel back the layers she had worked so hard to protect.
But there was something in the way he spoke, in the way he saw through her, that made her feel like she was standing on the edge of something she couldn’t avoid. She had always been able to keep her emotions locked away, always been able to control what people saw.
But Rowan was different.
He wasn’t like Kellan.
He wasn’t pretending. He wasn’t afraid to challenge her, to make her confront things she wasn’t ready to face.
Sierra took a deep breath, forcing herself to hold her ground.
“I don’t know what you think you know, but you’re wrong,” she said, her voice sharp. She wasn’t going to let him think he had any power over her, not like this. Not when everything inside her was still falling apart.
Rowan raised an eyebrow, the smirk returning to his lips.
“Am I?” He took a step closer, his voice dropping a fraction. “Tell me, Sierra, when was the last time you really faced something head-on? When was the last time you didn’t run from it?”
Sierra didn’t answer. She couldn’t. She didn’t know the answer. She had always run, always found a way to avoid what was too painful to deal with. She had hidden from her emotions, from the truth of her own fears, because facing them was too hard. But standing here, in the forest with Rowan, she realized just how much of her life had been spent avoiding everything.
He took another step toward her, the tension between them thickening. And in that moment, for the first time since Kellan’s betrayal, she felt something inside her break free. Maybe it was the weight of everything that had happened. Or maybe it was something else, something about Rowan that she didn’t quite understand.
She looked at him then, really looked at him for the first time. And when she spoke, her voice was barely a whisper.
“I haven’t shifted yet,” she admitted, the words hanging between them. “I don’t know how to. I don’t know what to do.”
Rowan didn’t look surprised. He didn’t even blink. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, studying her.
“Then they’re all fools for rushing you,” he said quietly, his voice softer than it had been all night.