The morning is crisp in a way that feels new. Clean. Like the world is trying to wash off everything we went through underground.
I wake slowly, my bones still warm and heavy from the night before, Nathan wrapped around me like a very clingy, very muscular blanket who refuses to acknowledge the concept of personal space. I pry myself out of his hold eventually, promising I will come back before he has a chance to panic.
He mumbles something unintelligible and rolls over, hugging my pillow like it insulted him. Adorable.
I slip out of the room quietly and move downstairs, savoring the smell of warm bread and the hum of early pack life beginning again. When I step outside, the cold air rushes into my lungs. It feels fresh. Brighter than yesterday. More normal.
And then I see Ember.
She
