Morning light slowly slipped through the curtains, warm and gentle against my skin. I could hear birds chirping outside, the usual early morning bustle of the pack beginning.
But I couldn't move.
I just sat there at the edge of the bed, staring blankly at nothing. My hands were still, resting on my lap, but my fingers felt cold and stiff. Even my breathing felt shallow, like taking one full breath might break me.
I was awake…
but my mind was still trapped somewhere between dream and reality.
The nightmare clung to me like invisible chains wrapping around my chest.
Amber's voice whispering venom.
My mother's face was swallowed by the shadows.
The forest is twisting unnaturally.
The searing pain of a blade slicing into me.
And Abby—my Abby—turned into smoke.
