I drifted through darkness punctuated by flashes of light, voices floating around me like leaves on a stream – sometimes clear, mostly muffled. The memory of Benjamin's grip, the needle, the sick feeling of violation as he tried to force his mark upon me – these fragments spun through my mind as I struggled to surface from the murky depths of drugged sleep. Beneath it all, Artemis, my wolf, pulsed with renewed strength, her presence a golden thread pulling me back toward consciousness.
Time stretched and contracted. I caught snippets of concerned voices – my brother Elijah's deep timbre, Elena's gentle murmurs, and most frequently, Theo's steady, commanding tone never far from my side. His fingers would occasionally brush mine, and even in my half-conscious state, I felt that spark – not
