My smile stretched wide as I sat astride Regal, encircled by Stefano's warm embrace. Beside us, Davide rode along, alternating between eye rolls and exaggerated gagging as he glanced our way. But I barely noticed. For the first time in my life, I felt unburdened, the weight on my chest lifted. I inhaled deeply, savoring the lightness and the joy of the moment.

"We should focus on uniting the resistance," Davide said, nodding toward me. "Alessandro told me they've amassed a significant force of shifters. Some of them are connected to other groups in the far eastern reaches. We could actually build a strong network."

I chuckled. "This is unusually...