Leila POV
Dreams come vivid that night – running through misty woods, moonlight slicing through the canopy like silver blades, a man’s voice booming commands that echo with authority and grief. A beta’s face twisting in regret as he raises a gun, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. “For your own good, Liora,” he says, voice breaking, and the crack of gunfire splits the night, silver bullets tearing through my flesh, burning like liquid fire, binding my wolf in chains I can’t see.
I wake up gasping, sheets tangled around my legs, sweat cooling on my skin. My heart pounds against my ribs like a trapped animal, and I reach instinctively for Aria, searching for a presence. Nothing.
The name Liora echoes in my mind like a heartbeat that isn’t mine, and Kael’s words from Kai’s retelling bu
