Where The Forest Chose Me
READING AGE 16+
I fell through a balete tree and into a world that should not exist anymore.
A world of steel and fire, of spirits whispered into the soil, of kingdoms ruled by men who answer only to gods and blood. In this Philippines of the 1600s, the forest is alive—and it chose me.
Rajah Alon is everything my world warned me about: a warrior-king bound by duty, sharpened by war, and utterly unmoved by a woman’s defiance. He believes I am a mystery the forest delivered for a reason. I believe he is a complication I cannot afford.
But ancient magic does not care what either of us believes.
As rival warriors circle, court politics tighten, and the babaylan speaks of prophecies best left forgotten, my presence begins to shift something dangerous—something that ties my fate to a kingdom I was never meant to save… or destroy.
Desire becomes a liability. Power becomes intimate. And the forest watches.
Because once it chooses you,
it does not let you leave unchanged.
Unfold
The forest did not celebrate my staying.
That was how I knew it had accepted the terms.
There were no signs. No blessing. No shift in the air that marked triumph or satisfaction. The trees did not lean closer. The roots did not stir beneath my feet. The balete stood as it always had—ancient, watching, unadorn……
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