Belle****
I gasp, my breath shallow, and the room around me blurs as shadows twist and dance. The chill in the air tightens its grip on my skin, and I can’t shake the feeling that the world has turned inside out. My heart races, each beat pounding against my chest like a warning.
Jake’s arms are around me, his grip tightening as if trying to anchor me to something solid. His chest rises and falls, each breath deep, but there’s no comfort in it. No relief. Not while the darkness presses in, thick and suffocating, swirling around us.
“You’re safe, Belle,” Jake murmurs, but his voice wavers, unsure. He tries to calm me, but I can feel the tension in his body, the uncertainty. His words don’t soothe me; they only make the dread gnaw at me more.
The whisper in my ear still lingers, the cold
