CHAPTER 41 THE GRUESOME SIGHT

Dominic Pov The night was unnervingly silent as I sprinted back to the clearing where we set camp. With its looming trees and thick underbrush, the forest seemed to close around me, each rustle and crack amplifying my dread. The image of what I had just witnessed burned vividly in my mind: an open show of violence that had shattered the peace of the forest. I stumbled over an exposed root, cursing as I caught myself against a tree. My breath came in ragged gasps, and I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins. There was no time to lose. Minerva needed to see and understand the danger we were in. I returned to where Minerva lay, curled up and fast asleep under the old oak tree. The urgency of what I had seen propelled me forward, my breath coming in ragged gasps. Finally, I reached our small campsite. The fire had long since dwindled to embers, casting a faint glow that illuminated Minerva's peaceful face. I kneeled beside her, shaking her shoulder with more ur