Ava's POV
I woke to the low, steady rhythm of machines. For a moment, I didn’t move. My wolf stirred beneath my skin, restless and disoriented.
I swallowed, my throat dry. I was in the hospital.
Memories came back in fragments. Juliet’s memorial…the crowd…the accusations. The way my chest had tightened until I couldn’t breathe, until the world had gone black.
Nora and Richard filled in the rest later. They said I collapsed at the height of it all. They said Juliet’s parents had dismissed every accusation against Laura, calling them baseless without proof.
I stayed in the hospital for a week. By the time Nora came to take me home, I felt like a ghost wearing my own skin.
The moment we were alone, Nora’s anger flared, sharp and hot like a wolf ready to lunge.
“This ends now, Ava,” she
