*A Future Worth Fighting For*
The night was eerily silent when Arthur returned.
Elara had spent the past few hours pacing the room, her nerves frayed, exhaustion clawing at her limbs. She had tried to distract herself—tidying the already spotless room, lighting candles to chase away the shadows, pressing her fingers against the cool glass of the window as she scanned the moonlit horizon for any sign of him.
But no matter what she did, her heart pounded relentlessly, her mind tormented by the possibility that something had gone wrong. That he was lying somewhere, bleeding, alone. That she had let him walk into danger, and this time, he wouldn’t come back.
Then the door burst open.
Arthur stumbled inside, his towering frame a shadow against the dim light. Blood soaked his clothes, dark
