Five Days Later
Five days of forced rest.
Five days of fighting the trembling in my limbs, the dull ache in my back, the bruises across my ribs, and the sting in my pride.
But today… I moved.
Not just a twitch, not just a shift under the weight of stiff sheets and healing skin—but real movement. I swung my legs over the side of the bed. I stood. Wobbly, but upright.
It was more than I’d done in days. More than I thought I’d manage.
The cold memory of what led me here clung to me like a second skin—unshakable. The bruises were fading, but the moment they dragged me through Irwin’s gates still burned fresh in my mind.
Two scrawny wolves had thrown me at the feet of the so-called King Rogue Alpha. He called himself a ruler, but all I saw was a tyrant, dressed in stolen gold and delusio
