The impact came like a hammer.
One second, I was airborne; the next, my side slammed into a thick trunk. The crack of ribs breaking was louder than the roar in my ears. Pain detonated through my chest—white-hot, blinding, stealing every scrap of air. I hit the ground hard, skidding across leaves and pine needles, body curling instinctively around the shattered place inside me.
I couldn’t breathe.
Couldn’t move.
Each shallow inhale felt like knives twisting deeper. Blood filled my mouth—coppery, warm. My vision tunneled at the edges.
The bear loomed over me, red eyes glowing, jaws wide.
This was it.
I was going to die here—alone, stupid, because I’d run from one monster straight into the arms of another.
Yes, Kayden may have been an asshole, but all he used were mean words. If I had
