The pain in my head is overwhelming, a dull throb that pulses in sync with the rapid beats of my heart. I blink, trying to clear my vision, but all I see are the blurry outlines of familiar faces, the chaos of the previous night still heavy in my chest. My hands tremble as I sit up in the bed, the cold sheets tangled around me, offering no comfort.
The room is dark, save for the faint glow of morning creeping in from the window. But there’s something wrong in the air, an undercurrent of tension that seeps through the walls.
I instinctively look to my side. Killian. His broad frame is sitting by my bed, his arm resting on my shoulder in what is supposed to be a comforting gesture. But all I feel is the weight of his presence—his protective nature, his concern. It suffocates me more than it soothes.
“Killian?” I croak, my voice rough from sleep, but also from the knot of anxiety that twists in my stomach. He doesn’t answer, his gaze fixed on the distant corner of the room, his jaw clen
