LENA POV
The quiet between us was thick, burdened by all the things we hadn’t yet said. It was Derek who finally broke it.
"What next?" His voice was rough, gravelly from tiredness of fighting battles both seen and unseen. His eyes, always sharp and restless, darted around, as though expecting danger to leap from the shadows at any moment.
I glanced at him, my heart swelling with a complex mix of emotions—relief that he was here, fear of what lay ahead, and a fierce determination to face it all. Derek had been gone for so long, swallowed up by the world and its darkness. But now he was back, standing beside me as though no time had passed at all. I drew in a deep breath. "Now that you’re back, we’re going to find our parents. Together." I said, keeping my voice steady despite the turmoi
