•South Road Forest – Present•
[Ovelia's POV]
Gale's face contorted—not with the peace of sleep, but with pain. Deep, wrenching pain that twisted his features. Through our bond, I felt it all: confusion crashing against heartbreak, loss drowning out everything else. His emotions battered against me like waves against a cliff, and my own heart tightened in response.
"When his expression changes, try to wake him. Or rather… try to bring him back."
Lady Firera's words echoed in my mind.
I shook him. "Gale, wake up!" My voice was desperate. My hands gripped his shoulders, shaking harder with each word. He didn't respond. Didn't even twitch. Tears began to fall again, hot and relentless.
"My lady, move." Ann positioned herself, drew back her elbow, and drove it into Gale's stomach with all the force she could muster in the cramped space. The impact was solid—I felt it through the floor. Anyone would wake from that.
Gale didn't even flinch.
