DEBBY'S POV__________________________________"You hear me, Debbie?"The voice emerges from the shadows. It's robust yet gentle. I am aware of it. Sasha.Even though I don't have a body here, I mumble, "Yeah." Only pain, light, and air. "Where are you?"No response. Then there was a cry that might have been Jerry's, followed by the sound of something heavy, like claws on wood.My chest gets constricted. "Jerry?"A faint red glow flickers through the darkness, like veins beneath the skin. I see shapes moving, possibly the docks, fire, or wolves. Then everything disappears once more."Debby, wake up."It's Levin. His voice makes me want to move and breathe. However, the dream keeps me motionless.I say, "I can't." "I've lost my body.""Then fight without it," he advises. His tone is one of exhaustion rather than anger. "You always did.""I no longer even know what is real."Once, he lets out a low, broken laugh. "What hurt
JERRY’S POV__________________________________“Jerry, move!”Sasha’s voice cuts through the noise. I duck as claws slice the air where my head was a second ago. The den shakes around us — wood splintering, growls echoing. The smell of blood is thick. Too thick.“I’m fine!” I yell back, though I’m not. My shoulder’s burning from where one of Damon’s wolves caught me.Sasha kicks a crate toward me. “Use it!”I grab it and smash it against the nearest wolf’s face. It goes down hard, but another one’s already coming. This one’s faster. I swing, but he knocks me off my feet.“Jerry!” Sasha cries.I hit the ground, wind knocked out of me. Everything spins. I hear her run toward me — her boots on the floor, her sharp breath — then a loud thud.When I open my eyes, the wolf’s gone. Sasha’s standing over me, holding a knife slick with blood. Her hands are shaking.“You okay?” she says.“Yeah,” I lie, pushing myself up. “You?”She wipes her arm across her face, leaving a smear of red. “Could b
DEBBY’S POV__________________________________“You’re done, Sasha!” Levin’s voice cracks like a whip, echoing in my head. I’m trapped in this coma, my body pinned to the hospital bed, but my mind’s alive, catching every word. He’s in a grimy safehouse, face bruised, eyes blazing. “No more pack. No more Jerry. Get out before I make you.”“You don’t get to call that shot, Levin!” Sasha fires back, her voice sharp, hunter-sharp. “Jerry needs me. You think you can protect him alone? You’re barely standing!”I feel the heat between them, like a spark ready to torch everything. My chest tightens, not from the knife wound but from fear. Jerry’s out there, running with that damn bloodstone map, and Levin’s pushing away the one person keeping him alive. The city’s growl rumbles low, shaking my bones, and Lykaon’s shadow creeps in, his voice cold as a blade. “You’re losing them, Debby. Your boy, your love—they’re slipping.”“Shut it,” I mutter, my thoughts spitt
DEBBY’S POV__________________________________The hospital’s hum is a chain, pinning me to this damn bed. My body’s still, but my mind’s a storm, clawing through the dark to find Jerry. I see him, my boy, running through Crescent City’s alleys, Sasha at his side. His breath’s ragged, eyes flicking like he feels me watching. I want to scream, Slow down, kid, you’re not ready! But I’m trapped in this coma, my voice a ghost in my head. The city’s growl rumbles low, shaking my bones, and Lykaon’s shadow creeps in—red eyes, sharp teeth, whispering my failures. “You can’t protect him, Debby. He’s marked for war.”“Get bent,” I snarl, my thoughts spitting fire. The hospital room flickers—machines beeping, a nurse muttering about my vitals. I don’t care. My focus locks on Jerry, his sneakers slapping wet pavement, Sasha’s hand on his arm. They’re dodging Damon’s men, I can feel it, the bloodstone’s pull like a hook in Jerry’s chest. I need to guide him, keep him safe, but this fog in my head
DEBBY’S POV__________________________________The hospital machines hum, a steady drone pulling me deeper into the dark. My body’s heavy, trapped in this coma, but my mind’s alive, clawing through fog to reach Jerry. I see him—my boy, his backpack slung low, weaving through Crescent City High’s crowded halls. Kids shove past, their laughter sharp like broken glass. Darren’s there, that punk with a sneer, circling Jerry like a vulture. My chest aches, not from the knife wound but from guilt. I should’ve been there, not stuck in this bed, dreaming of fights I can’t win.“Jerry, watch your back,” I whisper, though no one hears. My voice echoes in this weird in-between, where I’m not dead but not awake. The city’s growl rumbles low, vibrating through my bones. Lykaon’s out there, his shadow curling in my mind, all claws and red eyes. He’s the wolf king, the one tied to Jerry’s mark, and he’s calling me now, his voice like gravel. “You failed him, Debby. You hid the truth.”“Shut up,” I m
DEBBY’S POV__________________________________“Levin?”The word scrapes out of me before I even know I’m saying it. My throat’s dry, voice all gravel. But it’s his name, and once it’s out there, it doesn’t stop echoing.“I’m here.”His voice — low, rough, familiar. It slides through the dark like smoke. I turn toward it, heart slamming, because I know that sound. I’ve been hearing it in dreams since the day I left.The room flickers. Hospital walls melt into black, the kind that hums like static before a storm. There’s light leaking through broken blinds — cold, silver. My breath fogs in the air. I feel cold, but my skin’s burning.He steps out of the dark. Same leather jacket. Same tired eyes. Looks like the night I walked out — rain on his face, that stubborn hurt in his jaw.“Why’d you come?” I ask, but my voice breaks halfway through.“Because you called,” he says. “You always do when you’re falling apa