RIO
I woke to sunlight warming my cheek and for a moment, half-awake and comfortable beneath the thick sage-colored blankets, I forgot where I was. The bed was too soft, the sheets too crisp, the room too airy and quiet to be Wolf’s. I reached for the other side of the mattress instinctively, and the cool emptiness there reminded me I wasn’t next to Wolf.
I exhaled slowly, letting the memory settle. An emotional knot in my chest eased as I stretched, arms overhead, legs sprawled beneath the sheets.
A knock rattled my door before I could fully sit up.
“RIOOO!” Kaden’s voice bellowed through the woods. “Rise and shine! Training waits for no sleepy sisters!”
“Well, sisters don’t like yelling,” I groaned.
A second voice chimed in—Bryce’s calm one. “Ignore him. Breakfast is ready. Come ea
