Cole's pov
I walked out of the house without looking back. This place weighed on me; my body felt heavy and stiff. The sky was clearer now, with a few scattered stars, and I could tell it was almost 5 a.m. I’d trained myself to recognize the hour just by looking at the sky—my body used to waking up early for my routine. But whenever I had a nightmare like that, I’d wake up even earlier, usually around 3 or 4 a.m. Today was an exception, probably because I’d slept late, tossing and turning in that bed.
There was no one outside, which made me scoff. In my pack, there’d always be someone pulling an all-nighter on guard duty. This was supposed to be the Alpha King’s territory, yet their security was so lax? It wasn’t shocking—after all, if the leader was lacking, it was only natural for the
