AMAYA
I wake before dawn with a heaviness I can’t stretch away.
It sits under my sternum like packed snow, and when I draw a deeper breath, my ribs feel too narrow to contain it. My wolf stirs, bumping the inside of my skin as if to nose the ache. I press the heel of my hand to my breastbone and speak aloud into the gray light.
“Not today,” I whisper.
She bristles, then settles reluctantly. I swing my feet to the floor, lace my boots, and make a much-needed mental decision.
I will not think about Darian, I will not think about Evelara, I will not touch the tender spot inside my chest, not with hands or memory. I will run it out of me.
The grounds are quiet, the sky a little bit gloomy. Breath blooms in front of me as I slip along the back stairs and through the service door.
The f
