In the days that followed, we worked tirelessly to dismantle the remnants of the rebellion. Balthazar was imprisoned, his loyalists hunted down and brought to justice. The pack slowly began to recover, but the scars of the attack remained.
Aliya and I spent many nights talking, trying to rebuild the trust that had been shattered. She was still wary, her eyes holding the pain of my past actions. But slowly, she began to see the truth—that everything I had done was to protect her and the kingdom.
Evening came, and as we stood on the chamber battlements, watching the sunset, Aliya turned to me. “Jayden, do you think we can ever truly move past this?”
I took her hand, my heart heavy with the weight of my actions. “I hope so, Aliya. We’ve been through so much, but I believe we can find a way
