Serena
My eyes snapped open.
My body tensed.
I was still here.
The dim light of the fire flickered across the tent’s walls, casting long shadows. The ground beneath me was soft—animal fur, warm and thick. My skin stung, but it was clean. My wounds… were wrapped properly?
I blinked in confusion.
The last thing I remembered was Xavier’s face hovering over mine. Those dark, stormy eyes. Then—blackness.
I sat up slowly, every movement heavy, like my body had been hit by a storm.
And then I saw him.
Xavier.
Sitting in the corner of the tent, leaning back against a wooden post. A bottle in one hand. Dark liquor swirled inside. His gaze was fixed on me—not angry, not soft. Just watching.
Like a lion eyeing something that moved.
My heartbeat quickened.
I pulled the fur tighter around
