Adrein.
The heavy wooden door clicked shut as Aidan and Davian hurried down the corridor to investigate the commotion in the courtyard, leaving me alone in the suffocating quiet of Damein's bedroom.
I slumped back against the stone wall, clutching my chest as another sharp, white-hot spasm tore through my ribs. My breathing was fast and shallow, my sweat-soaked shirt clinging cold against my skin.
Ever since I had tried to sever my bond thread to protect Maria from my own dark, chaotic wolf, my inside felt like a war zone. The bond wasn't broken—it was frayed, bleeding, and raw, pulsing with an agonizing friction every time Maria's faint, shallow heartbeats echoed through our link.
I dragged myself up from the wall, using the edge of the heavy mahogany wardrobe for balance. My legs felt like lead, heavy and unresponsive from the lingering spiritual feedback.
I looked over at the bed.
