Frustration burned hotter than the rage inside me.
Rage was clean and simple because It gave me something to destroy.
But this… this helplessness… it sat in my chest like poison, spreading with every breath.
I should have found her.
I should have brought her back.
The pack house was too bright when I stepped onto the porch. Light poured out from every window, cutting into my eyes after the darkness of the forest.
Warriors stood in lines along the entrance, their bodies stiff, their faces tight with worry.
No one spoke.
They didn’t need to.
They saw it on my face.
I walked past them without a word and pushed the door open.
The moment I stepped inside, the silence hit me.
And then I saw her.
Ms. D stood at the bottom of the staircase, her hands clenched tightly in front of her.
