SOPHIA’S POV
I froze when I recognized Bianca.
For a second, I thought my exhaustion was playing tricks on me but then she lifted her head slightly, and I saw her swollen lip, the purple bruising along her cheekbone, the way her shoulders curled inward like she was trying to disappear.
Her scent hit me next. It was filled with so much fear.
My wolf growled inside me. It was as angry as I was.
“Bianca,” I said softly. “It’s me.”
She started crying immediately. Not loud sobs. She cried with quiet, broken sounds she tried to swallow back. She shook her head and covered her face with her hands.
“I—I can’t,” she whispered. “I can’t talk.”
“It’s okay,” I tried to keep my voice calm even though my chest was tight with anger. “You don’t have to talk yet. Just breathe.”
