"Gabriel! You're awake!" Serena's face lit with joy, then crumpled into sobs. "I didn't know what I'd do if you didn't wake up. Henry and Agnes would hate me, and I'd hate myself… It's my fault for letting you climb for those beads…"
Gabriel listened quietly, his gaze settling on the she-wolf he'd once cherished above all during his memory loss. His voice rasped, "Where's Lydia?"
Serena froze, then bit her lip, seizing her chance to twist the knife. "You're still thinking of her? You've been here all this time, and she hasn't visited once. That kind of she-wolf clings when you're on top but bolts when you're down. Why waste your thoughts on her?"
"I'm just saying—"
"She's not like that," Gabriel cut her off, his eyes hard with certainty.
He knew Lydia better than anyone.
"She's not v
