POV: Mia (Zero)
I had never been someone who took comfort in empty spaces, but the silence after the vote, after the council, felt deafening. The weight of their judgment clung to the air, thick and suffocating, even though I had been cleared. I should have felt relief, but all I felt was the pressure of what came next, of the fact that the pack, Alex, depended on me, and I wasn’t sure I could give them what they needed.
I couldn’t be the reflection of what they wanted me to be. I wasn’t sure I even knew who I was anymore.
I stepped out of the infirmary, the evening air cool against my skin, and found Alex leaning against the stone wall of the compound, his eyes following me as I approached. There was no question in his gaze, no judgment, only a quiet understanding that made the storm i
