Chapter 13 Tristan
TRISTAN
The storm broke on the third morning, leaving behind a world transformed into crystalline silence.
Tristan drove toward Hollow Oak with Maren beside him, neither speaking much.
The joint warding circle had changed something between them, created an awareness that made even simple proximity feel charged.
Every time their shoulders brushed, he remembered the feel of her magic winding through his, cool and silver and impossibly right.
He couldn’t deny the impossible anymore. She was his mate. But he shoved them down and focused on the road.
The town emerged from the trees with snow-draped rooftops, icicles glittering from eaves, and smoke curling from chimneys into pale blue sky. Peaceful on the surface. But underneath, something felt wrong.
People moved through the streets with their heads down, hurrying between buildings instead of stopping to chat.
Windows that should've been thrown open to greet the clear weather remained shuttered.
The usual morning bustle at Griddle why?