The nightmares were getting worse.
Not the usual shadows in the corners of my mind. These were visceral. Vivid. Whole pieces of memory stitching themselves back together in the dark. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Asher—barefoot in the forest, blood on his hands, whispering my name like a vow and a warning.
And now I knew why.
Because he’d stolen those memories. Scrubbed them from my mind like fingerprints from a weapon. Because he was an alpha wolf with abilities I still didn’t fully understand—and I’d let him get close enough to burn everything I was.
I woke drenched in sweat, my chest heaving as the dream clung to me like fog. It wasn’t just a dream. Not anymore.
It was a memory.
I stumbled from the bed, barely registering the cold floor under my feet as I grabbed my coat and
