I woke to screaming.
Not mine. Bella’s.
Pain dragged me up from black. Side on fire. Bandages soaked. Damien’s arms around me. Tight. Too tight.
“Selena,” he said against my ear. Voice rough. No sleep in it. “Stay down.”
But the screaming kept coming. Raw. Broken. Not wolf. Human.
I pushed at his chest. Weak. “What— what’s happening?”
Damien’s jaw ticked. He didn’t answer. Just pulled the furs higher over me. “Rest.”
The door crashed open.
Guard. Blood on his armor. Not his. “Alpha! They hit the village! Frost Wolves’ last pack! They’re burning it! They took—”
He didn’t finish.
Because another scream cut through the air. Closer. This time from the courtyard.
Bella.
Damien was already moving. He set me down on the bed like I was glass. “Don’t move. If you bleed more, you die.”
