"And after?" His voice was harder now. "After you fix whatever is broken? Do you go back to your time?"
"I don't know!" The words burst out of me. "I don't know if we can stay. I don't know if the timeline will allow it, if we can exist here without causing more damage. I don't know anything except that I have to try and fix this, because if I don't, everything dies. Your people, my people, everyone."
He was so still beneath me that for a moment I thought he'd stopped breathing. Then, with movements that were almost eerily gentle, he lifted me off his chest and set me aside on the furs. He stood, his silhouette dark against the firelight, and I saw his shoulders rise and fall with a deep breath.
"Daska, please—"
"I need..." His voice was strained, barely controlled. "I need to think."
"Don't go. Please. Let's talk about this—"
"There's nothing to talk about." He still wasn't looking at me. "You have to go. And I..." He trailed off, shaking his head.
"Daska—"
But he was already moving toward the cave entrance, his steps quick and controlled. I scrambled to follow, the furs falling away, but he was faster. By the time I reached the entrance, he was already shifting, his body flowing into bear form.
"Daska please!"
He paused at the edge of the clearing, his massive shape turned away from me. For a moment I thought he might come back, might shift and let me explain better, find some way to make this right. But then he shook his head and disappeared into the shadows beneath the trees. I stood at the cave entrance, naked and shivering in the cold night air, watching him disappear into the darkness. The bond between us thrummed with pain and betrayal and a grief so profound it felt like drowning. I felt as thought I was back in that hotel room, my heart feeling like it was being ripped open once again.
"I'm sorry," I whispered to the empty clearing. "I'm so sorry."
I spent the night alone in the cave, wrapped in furs that still smelled like him, watching the fire burn down to embers. Every sound outside made me jump, hoping it was him returning, fearing it was something worse, even though I knew he would never have left me if he hadn’t believed I was safe. The bond between us throbbed with distance and pain, a constant ache in my chest that made it hard to breathe.
He didn't come back.
Dawn came slowly, grey light creeping across the cave floor. I fed the fire, pulled on my clothes with numb fingers, and triednot to think about the look on his face when he'd left. I'd hurt him. And I didn't know how to fix it.
I was poking listlessly at the fire when I heard footsteps outside. My head snapped up, heart lurching.
Daska stood in the entrance, back in human form, his hair dishevelled and his eyes shadowed with exhaustion. He looked like he hadn’t slept either. But when our eyes met, something in his expression softened, just slightly.
"Ellie," he said quietly.
I was on my feet before I could think, crossing the cave in three quick steps. "Daska, I'm so sorry, I should have told you sooner, I just… I didn't know how…"
"Stop." He caught my hands, his grip gentle but firm. "We don't have time."
"What?"
"Karik is here." His voice was controlled, but I could feel the tension radiating through the bond. "I spotted his wolves coming up the valley. Maybe an hour behind me, maybe less."
My stomach dropped. "Karik."
"Yes." He was already moving, pulling our supplies together with practiced efficiency. "We need to pack. Now. Get back to the main camp before they do."
I started grabbing things, rolling up furs, stuffing our meagre possessions into the packs we'd brought.
We worked in tense silence for several minutes. My hands were shaking, fumbling with ties and knots, my mind racing. This was it. The sanctuary was over. Back to the main camp, back to politics and tension and…
"Ellie."
I turned. Daska was standing by the fire, holding the last of our supplies, watching me with an expression I couldn't quite read.
"Come here," he said quietly.
I crossed to him, and he set the pack down and pulled me into his arms. Not roughly, not desperately, but with a tenderness that made my throat tight. He buried his face in my hair, breathing deep, and I felt him tremble.
