His brows furrowed instantly, confusion and alarm darkening his features.
“What?”
“Did you send five men…” I paused, my throat tightening like a fist had wrapped around it.
“To follow me into the forest?” My voice cracked, the weight of the memory clawing its way up my spine.
“To attack me?”
Aiden stumbled back a step, like my words had physically struck him. His lips parted, but for a moment, no sound came out.
“I… I don’t even understand what you’re asking.”
I closed my eyes and let the memory surface.....sharp, violent, and unforgettable. It wasn’t just a memory. It was a wound that never closed.
“That night,” I began, my voice low and brittle.
“I was hungry. The kitchen had nothing left. I hadn’t eaten all day. So I left the packhouse and walked out into the nearby diner, th
