The voice that responds is barely a whisper, so weak I almost miss it. So broken it makes my chest cave in.
My wolf doesn’t hesitate. I launch myself at the door with every ounce of strength I have. The wood tears open like it’s made of paper, and the scene that greets me stops my heart.
Astra is on the floor, barely conscious, blood streaming from her nose and mouth. Her beautiful face is swollen and bruised. She is curled on her side, arms wrapped protectively around her torso, each breath coming in shallow, labored gasps.
But it’s her eyes that destroy me. Those bright green eyes that once sparkled with life and hope are now glassy and unfocused, the light in them fading like dying embers. One eye is blackened and nearly swollen shut. She is staring at nothing, seeing nothing, and I
