Morning came slowly over the mountains, pale light stretching across the frozen landscape as if the world itself was hesitant to wake.
The cabin stood silent. Broken. The front door hung from one hinge, swaying slightly in the cold breeze. Snow had drifted inside during the night, covering the wooden floor in a thin, untouched layer of white. Inside, the fire had long since died. Ashes lay scattered on the stone hearth, and on the bed…
Mia remained. Still. Unmoving. The room felt empty in a way that had nothing to do with the cold. It was the kind of silence that lingered after something had been taken… Something that could never be replaced.
Footsteps crunched through the snow outside. Slow. Careful. Deliberate. Beta Nick stepped into the cabin, his eyes scanning the space with quiet i
