The first thing I notice when I wake up is pain.
Not sharp. Not sudden. Just heavy.
It settles deep into my ribs and shoulder like something lodged beneath my skin, throbbing slow and constant every time I breathe. Even opening my eyes feels harder than it should. For a few seconds, I don’t move at all. I just stare blankly at the ceiling, trying to remember why my entire body feels like it got hit by a truck.
Then it comes back.
The woods. The rogue. Claws ripping through the dark. Blood soaking into the dirt beneath me. The sound of snarling. Two massive black wolves crashing through the trees like something out of a nightmare.
My breath catches hard enough to hurt.
Easy, Nyx murmurs softly. It’s been a rough night.
I stiffen automatically.
She feels different now. Closer somehow
