I sat in the back seat of the car. I wrapped my arms protectively around my sons as the vehicle rumbled down the dirt road. Daemond, Ksaver, and Marcus nestled close to me, their small hands clutching at my sleeves. I stroked their hair absentmindedly as my mind swirled around everything that had happened.
Sarah sat beside me, but neither of us spoke this time. It was as if words weren't enough to fill the space between us. Wilhelm drove cautiously as he scanned the road ahead, while Gideon sat in the passenger seat, arms crossed, occasionally glancing at us through the rearview mirror.
Outside, the dense forest stretched endlessly, its towering trees casting long shadows under the pale moonlight. The deeper we drove into the territory of the Crestfallen Pack, the more I felt an unfamiliar weight settle in my chest.
Safety.
It had been so long since I had known what that felt like.
