Josie
I didn't sleep well that night. Every time I closed my eyes, I kept replaying their voices—sharp, heavy, carrying judgment I hadn't asked for. The Alphas always thought they knew best. Always thought they were protecting me. But protection had started to feel like chains around my ankles, tightening with every decision they made for me.
When I finally drifted into sleep, it wasn't peaceful. My dreams were restless things, full of shadowed figures pulling me in different directions, none of them listening to me. Their voices overlapped—Varen's harsh warnings, Thorne's cold disappointment, Kiel's frustrated demands. Every tug pulled me further apart until I woke with a strangled gasp.
My throat was dry, my body aching, and my head pounding like I'd been fighting battles all night long.
