Alex POV:
Where the hell had Raven gone? She was supposed to be here, keeping me grounded, keeping the shadows away. I felt them creeping up again—the ghosts of my past, the skeletons in my closet, rattling their bones, waiting for me to crack. I wasn't crazy, I swear. But today, on June 26th, they always found a way to drag me back into the darkest parts of my mind. My wolf had withdrawn again, leaving me feeling like a shell, like the piece of me that was supposed to be strong, protective, was gone.
Everyone else around me was having a good time—smiling, dancing, laughing—but not me. I couldn't. I had to keep up the act. The mask I wore like a damn second skin. The happy Alex everyone knew was nowhere to be found.
