Darian's POV
I wake before the light fully commits to the room.
That alone tells me something is wrong.
I’m a deep sleeper by nature—always have been. My wolf rests hard when it rests at all, sinking into a heavy, dreamless state that usually requires a physical jolt to break. But this morning my eyes open on instinct, not rest, my body already braced as if for impact. For half a second, I expect the familiar emptiness beside me, the quiet aftermath of another bad dream where I reach for her and find only the cold air of a city that doesn't care if I live or die.
Instead, there is warmth. Weight. Breath.
Serenity.
The realization hits slowly, like cold water creeping up my spine rather than a sudden shock. My chest tightens, not with panic, but with something far worse: certainty. La
