Isla
I woke with a start, disoriented and confused by the unfamiliar softness beneath me. Sunlight streamed through floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating a room I barely recognised. For one blissful moment, my mind was blank, and then reality crashed down upon me like a physical weight. The mark on my neck throbbed, a constant reminder of what had happened. Tristan. The bite. The mate bond. My family left behind. A wave of grief hit me and I felt for a moment like I couldn’t breathe.
I sat up slowly, wincing at the stiffness in my muscles, and realised I was in bed, the guest bed in Tristan's penthouse. But I hadn't fallen asleep here. My last memory was collapsing onto the floor, crying until exhaustion claimed me. Someone had moved me, tucked me in. The thought of Tristan carrying me,
