Caleb
The morning sunlight filtered gently through the long curtains of my apartment, filling the room with a calm warmth I hadn’t felt in days.
My body finally felt whole again, steady, grounded. The aches that had plagued me since collapsing were gone.
For the first time since the bond was sealed, I could breathe freely without the weight of weakness pressing on my chest.
Queen Elise had kept her word. She’d stayed by my side, nurtured my strength, and quietly breathed life back into me.
Even when she tried to hide it behind her usual calm poise, I’d seen the worry in her eyes.
I owed my recovery to her.
But this morning, she hadn’t come by. She had early council duties to attend to, and I didn’t want to bother her. I needed to prove to myself that I could stand, move, and liv
