I woke up in a haze, blinking against the early morning light filtering through my curtains. My head throbbed, and my entire body ached like I’d run a marathon. Sitting up slowly, I pressed my hand against my forehead, trying to remember how I got back here. The last thing I recalled was the ceremony at the waterfall… and then nothing. My muscles protested as I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, my movements sluggish.
At first, I thought the pain was from the ceremony, part of the exhaustion from staying in that freezing water for so long. But as I stood and stretched, something else hit me—a burning sensation deep inside. My breath caught, and I doubled over slightly, the intense heat flooding through my body. It wasn't the pain from the ceremony.
I was in heat.
The realization ma
