Chapter 15: Awake
**Marcus's POV**
I woke to the sound of soft crying and the feeling of small, warm hands wrapped around mine.
Everything hurt. My shoulder throbbed with deep, aching pain. My ribs felt like they were held together with glass shards. Every breath was an effort, and even the simple act of being conscious took more energy than it should have.
But through the mate bond, I felt something worse than my physical pain—Lily's anguish. Her guilt. Her fear. It radiated through our connection like a living thing, and even in my disoriented state, I knew I had to fix it.
I tried to open my eyes, but my eyelids felt like they weighed a thousand pounds. I tried to squeeze her hand, but my fingers barely twitched. I tried to speak, but my throat was so dry that only a hoarse rasp ca
