Elara POV:
Afternoon training ends with the sun sitting low enough to gild the edges of the clearing.
The heat of the day has softened, sharp exertion giving way to that deep, satisfying ache that promises strength rather than fatigue. Rhydar calls the halt, voice steady and grounded, and the pack eases apart without hurry — stretching, laughing, exchanging quiet words as tension bleeds away naturally, the way it always should.
I exhale slowly, rolling my neck once, feeling loose, settled, present in my body in a way that feels earned. My leggings cling comfortably, the cropped long-sleeve pushed to my forearms, skin warm beneath the cooling air. Sweat cools along my spine as my pulse begins to slow.
It feels… good.
Not just physically but deeper than that. Like something inside me ha
