The moment the door creaked open, I thought it was Ash. My heart leapt toward him instinctively, craving the only anchor I had left. But instead of his presence, there was something else. A box. Small, wooden, plain—and yet it bled a scent that froze my veins.
Ash’s voice broke the silence, sharp, cursing under his breath. I didn’t understand. My body moved before my mind caught up, dragging itself toward that box.
“No, don’t—” Ash started, but I was already there, trembling fingers lifting the lid.
Max.
My Max.
His head—his eyes half open, as if still searching for me, his mouth parted like he wanted to bark, to comfort me one last time. My scream shattered the sterile white room, something primal, something inhuman tearing out of my throat until I couldn’t breathe.
I fell to my kne
