Josie
I never thought regret could feel this heavy. Like a stone pressed against my lungs, slowly crushing the air out of me. Every breath burned. Every heartbeat felt weaker than the last. My limbs were so cold that even the warmth of my tears couldn't thaw them. I regretted leaving the pack the way I did—without a plan, without warning, driven by fear more than courage.
If I'd stayed, maybe things wouldn't have turned out this way. Maybe I wouldn't be here—curled on the cold, damp floor of the witches' hut, my body trembling as if the life inside me was flickering out.
I wanted to sleep. Just… sleep. That was all I wanted. My eyelids grew heavier by the second, and the world blurred into shadows.
Then I heard it.
A whisper. My name.
"Josie…"
It was faint, like a breeze brushing against my ear. My mind struggled to focus, to make sense of it. The shadows moved, and then a familiar face emerged through the haze.
Kiel.
