ISOLDE
Hours ago
"Your mother is Dead."
I wait for Elena to take it back. To choke on the word, laugh, say it’s a sick joke—that my mother, the woman I’ve been fighting to save, didn’t die more than a month ago.
But she doesn’t.
It doesn’t make sense. It really doesn’t.
Elara stops speaking. She crumples to the floor instead, sobbing, apologizing for coming late. My father had her trapped inside the pack, made sure I stayed ignorant until my mission ended.
Mother is dead.
The words loop in my head, over and over, each repetition a blade scraping against my nerves. My skull throbs. My fists clench. Muscles lock tight as the clock ticks too loudly in the room.
I don’t know how long I stare at nothing. Morgan closes the door softly after I give no reaction to her consolation, leaving
