LILA’S POV
I couldn’t breathe.
Not because something was choking me.
But because everything around me… wasn’t real.
The forest was gone.
The pack was gone.
The ground beneath my knees felt like glass cold, endless, reflecting fragments of memories I didn’t want to see.
And she was standing in front of me.
Smiling.
“My dear sister…” she repeated softly, her voice echoing like it belonged to this place. “Did you miss me?”
My throat tightened painfully.
“No,” I whispered.
The word came out broken.
Weak.
And I hated that.
Because she noticed.
Her smile widened.
“Oh, Lila,” she murmured, tilting her head. “Still pretending you’re stronger than you feel?”
I pushed myself to my feet, even though my body felt wrong here too heavy, too exposed.
“This isn’t real,” I said, forcing
