Chapter 67. Tell Me to Stop

Selena’s POV

I thought the air would feel cleaner after the battle. That the blood would dry, the smoke would lift, and Winter Mountain would breathe again. But it doesn’t.

There’s something quieter in the way the wind moves, not relief. Recoil. The world flinches. The mountain remembers. And so do I.

I walk the upper terraces barefoot, trailing my fingers along the frost-lined railings. Beneath the stone, the land pulses faintly with magic; not mine, not Caleb’s, not even dad’s. Something older. The ancient bones of this place have always kept the wards alive, but now they feel strained. Pulled at from underneath, like someone tested their strength. And nearly snapped them. I close my eyes and let myself fall inward.

The air cools immediately, as I sit outside cross-legged on the terrasse.

I find myself at the edge of the clearing.

The trees curve around me in quiet reverence, tall and gold-touched in the morning light that never fades. Th