Kanah woke to a rumble.
A soft one—deep, steady, warm—vibrating against her spine.
Owain.
Curled around her again
like a massive, protective furnace
breathing into her hair
arms locked around her waist
legs tangled with hers.
She shifted slightly—
Owain's grip tightened immediately.
A low growl slipped from his chest.
"Mine…"
Kanah blinked.
"Owain? I just moved—"
"Doesn't matter," he muttered, burying his face in the back of her neck.
"You tried to leave."
Kanah laughed softly.
"I turned an inch."
"Too far."
His voice was raw with sleep and possessiveness, deeper than usual—
and so warm it made something flutter low in her stomach.
Kanah lifted a hand, brushing his tangled hair from his eyes.
Owain blinked awake.
Golden.
Sharp.
Beautiful.
He studied her as if confirming she was real.
"You're awake," he whispered.
"I'm awake," she whispered back.
He exhaled, forehead dropping to hers.
"Kana…
I didn't dream last night."
She stiffened slightly.
"Owain…?"
His voice broke.
"Because I didn't sleep.
Not once.
Couldn't.
I kept thinking—
what if you stopped breathing?
What if your seed destabilized?
What if I missed something?
What if—"
She cupped his cheek.
"Owain.
I'm here."
He leaned into her touch like it was the only thing keeping him alive.
"I know," he whispered.
"Thank the stars you're here."
Her heart twisted warmly.
THE OTHERS RETURN
A polite throat-clearing ruined the moment.
Gerrin stood a few feet away, looking apologetic but firm.
"I'm sorry to interrupt…
but Kanah needs a mana check.
And you—" he eyed Owain's bandaged ribs—
"need to stop pretending you aren't in pain."
Owain growled.
"I'm fine."
"You're bent like someone stabbed your lungs."
"It's a scratch."
"It's a cracked rib."
Helion dropped from a tree overhead.
"Correction: four cracked ribs."
Owain shot him a glare.
Helion shrugged.
"Don't look at me. Look at the tree you broke."
Yllas joined them, his injured arm now encased in a shimmering cast of frost-fire.
He gave Kanah a rare, soft look.
"You frightened us," he said simply.
"But… good to see you waking."
Helion flicked his tail.
"And we'd prefer if you didn't nearly die again.
It ruins the mood."
Kanah snorted.
Even Owain cracked a smile.
The atmosphere was lighter than yesterday.
Still heavy.
Still bruised.
But healing.
KANAH'S AFTERMATH
As the morning warmed, Gerrin examined her mana flow, brows furrowed.
"Hm."
"Hm what?" Kanah asked, nervous.
Gerrin exhaled.
"You're stable.
But your resonance has… changed."
Owain stiffened.
"How changed?"
"Not dangerous," Gerrin quickly added.
"Just… stronger.
More regulated.
Less responsive to Devourer pressure."
Kanah felt Owain relax behind her.
Helion nudged her arm.
"That's what happens when you stand up to your biological father and tell him no."
Kanah's chest tightened.
"I didn't just tell him no," she whispered.
"I ended him."
Silence.
Gerrin knelt beside her.
"It wasn't murder."
Helion nodded.
"It was liberation."
Yllas crossed his arms.
"And it saved us all."
Owain said nothing.
He simply leaned forward, resting his forehead against her shoulder, breathing her in as if grounding himself.
Kanah placed her hand over his.
"You're allowed to be okay too," she murmured.
Owain huffed a laugh that wasn't really a laugh.
"Kana…
I'm only okay when you are."
Her throat tightened.
"Owain…"
He kissed her shoulder—
slow, soft, aching.
"Don't leave my sight today," he whispered.
Kanah smiled gently.
"I wasn't planning to."
THE TRIBES GATHER
By mid-morning, the tribes formed a circle around the center of the clearing.
Dragons perched on fallen trunks.
Leopards draped themselves on branches.
Elves stood tall, staffs grounded.
Wolves lay in a disciplined ring.
Kanah sat beside Owain, wrapped in a cloak someone had placed around her while she slept.
The guardian beast loomed behind her like a silent sentinel.
Rhaegor spoke first.
"The Devourer King is dead."
Murmurs rippled.
"And with his fall," Yllas added, "his influence on the corrupted lands will begin to fade."
Gerrin nodded.
"But the hybrids he created… some will still wander."
Helion clicked his tongue.
"Then we hunt them. Simple."
Kanah shook her head gently.
"Not hunt.
Heal."
The tribes fell silent.
Owain glanced at her, protective and confused.
"Kana—those creatures are dangerous—"
"I know," she said softly.
"But many were forced into their shapes.
Into their instincts.
Into their hunger."
Yllas frowned.
"You want to save them all?"
"No," Kanah whispered.
"I want to give them a chance."
A long, deep pause.
Then—
Rhaegor bowed his head.
"A worthy choice."
Helion groaned dramatically.
"Great. We're building a rehabilitation center for monsters now. Perfect."
"You don't have to help," Owain said flatly.
Helion scoffed.
"Oh shut up, wolf. If she wants it, we're doing it."
Kanah smiled.
Her heart felt full.
Warm.
Hopeful.
A PRIVATE MOMENT
When the meeting ended, Owain wordlessly took her hand and pulled her into the shade of a giant root.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
Owain pinned her with a stare—
raw, intense, vulnerable.
"You almost died yesterday," he said softly.
"You fought your father.
You broke something inside yourself.
And now you're already planning how to help others."
Kanah blinked.
"…Yes?"
Owain cupped her face—
gently, gently, like she might break.
"I want you to have time to heal too," he murmured.
"I want you to rest.
To breathe.
To cry if you need to.
To sleep.
To laugh."
His thumb traced her cheek.
"You don't have to fix the whole world today."
Kanah's eyes stung.
"I know. But if I stop… if I slow down… everything I felt—everything I lost—everything I did—will hit me."
Owain leaned his forehead against hers.
"Then let it hit you."
His voice softened.
"I'll catch you."
Her throat closed.
She gripped the front of his shirt.
"Owain…"
He brushed her hair back.
"One day," he whispered, "you'll let yourself fall. And I'll be there to hold you. Every time."
Her breath trembled.
"And after that?" she whispered.
Owain kissed the corner of her mouth—
slow, lingering, reverent.
"After that," he murmured, "I'll help you stand again."
Kanah closed her eyes, finally letting herself lean into him.
For the first time since the war started—
she let someone else carry the weight.
Owain held her tight, breathing her in, his voice a low promise against her skin:
"You're not alone anymore, Kana.
Not now.
Not ever."