When I woke up, the sun was already pouring into my room through the thin curtains. I blinked a few times, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, and for once, the air didn't feel heavy. There wasn't that suffocating pressure on my chest. It was quiet. I sat up slowly, clutching my blanket around me. My first thought was that he was standing outside my door again, whispering in my head like the devil in a fairy tale. My second thought was that maybe he'd fallen asleep in a chair somewhere, waiting to jump on me if I even breathed wrong. But then I heard whispers in the hallway.
"The Alpha left early," someone said. "He took a few warriors with him."
I nearly fell off the bed. My heart skipped like it had just been given permission to exist.
"He left?" I whispered to myself, my eyes going wide. I scrambled to my feet and rushed to the door, pressing my ear against the wood. "He left! He actually left?"
I spun around in my room, clutching my blanket like it was a victory flag.
