Elena POV
I woke up in my bedroom, the familiar surroundings doing little to soothe the turmoil inside me. My head pounded, and a dull ache throbbed at the base of my neck. As I tried to sit up, a wave of dizziness hit me, and I collapsed back onto my pillows.
Celia and Ethan were by my bed, their faces filled with worry.
“Elena, are you okay?” Celia asked, her voice trembling slightly. Ethan’s eyes were darker than usual, filled with an intensity that made my stomach churn.
“I... I think so,” I managed to say, my hand instinctively moving to the pain at my neck. I touched the mark there, and a sudden jolt of memory flashed through my mind. Ryder Hale—his face and scent were still vivid, but not as much as the memory of what he had done to me. The sharp pain of his teeth grazing my ski
