Tell her. Don’t tell her. She deserves the truth. She deserves the choice.
But the thought of her choosing a world I don’t belong to—of her stepping away from my cabin, from the woods, from me—tears something raw inside my chest.
I grip the counter to steady myself.
“Rafe?” the clerk says carefully. “You okay?”
No.
Grabbing the clan’s mail, I push away from the counter before the words climb out of me. The door slams behind me, the bell ringing too bright, too sharp. The sunlight hits my eyes hard, but I barely feel it.
The only thing I feel is the folded paper burning through my pocket.
The only thing I hear is Briar’s soft voice that never comes.
And the only thing I know is this: If she leaves, it will break me clean through.
I drive home fast, too fast, hands shaking. Because the world she came from just reached into mine—and grabbed hold.
I don’t go straight home, taking the ridge path without asking my mind. The folded flyer in my pocket feels heavier with every mile. The fear settles deeper, tight in my ribs, tight in my throat.
Silas’s place sits off the trail, smoke curling from the chimney. He’s outside splitting kindling, steady and unhurried, like the world never asks too much of him.
He looks up the second I cruise to a stop and open my door. “Rafe.” A narrowing of his eyes. “You look like hell. What happened?”
I can’t speak, so I pull the flyer out and hand it to him.
He takes it slow, unfolding the paper carefully. His jaw flexes as he reads. His gaze lifts to mine, heavier now.
“Well,” he exhales. “That’s a punch to the gut.”
I say nothing. My throat’s too tight to trust the words.
Silas studies the photo again. “Pretty girl. Got snatched at eighteen. That means Daryl had her going on three years.”
My hands curl into fists.
He notices. His mouth twitches. “Easy. I wasn’t saying anything you don’t already know.”
I drag a hand down my face.
“She’s got people,” he adds quietly.
The words cut deeper than they should.
“I know.”
“They’ve been looking a long time.”
“I know.”
Silas folds the paper and hands it back. “You gonna tell her?”
The question hits hard and slices clean through.
I shake my head before my mouth can open. “I don’t know.”
Silas raises an eyebrow. “What’s the part you’re afraid of?”
