The house felt too quiet after they left. Not peaceful. Not calm. Just… empty. I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the door like Zayne might walk back through it at any second, like the morning hadn’t happened, like the world hadn’t shifted under my feet.
My wolf paced beneath my skin, restless but calmer than she’d been in days. The panic that had been lodged in my chest since the attack had loosened overnight, like something inside me had finally stopped bracing for impact.
A soft knock broke through my thoughts.
“Alexandra?”
Mom.
I stood quickly and opened the door. Abbigail stepped in without hesitation, her sharp gaze scanning my face the way she always did when she was trying to read what I wasn’t saying.
“You slept,” she said.
“Apparently.”
A small smile tugged at her li
