Page 94 of The Alien Cowboy's Fated Mate

My hand hovers over the interface.

Careful, Calder.

I excise a portion of the log. Not all. Only enough.

Enough to prevent inquiry. Enough to preserve access.

A shield.

That is something.

I mark the file:

Raven’s Ridge — Monitor

“Adaptive,” I murmur.

The word rests on my tongue longer than necessary. Not unpleasant.

I close the archive.

Observation continues.

When the mountainhums low and the world finally feels steady, Ash and Josephine discover that stabilization isn’t the end of their story, it’s the beginning of something even deeper.

Tender. Fierce. Unbreakable. And maybe… something new taking root.