I couldn't sleep.I'd tried. Gods, I'd tried. I'd gone to bed hours ago, closed my eyes, willed my mind to quiet and let me rest. But every time I started to drift off, the voices came.Thane's voice. Clear as day, as if he were standing right beside me. "You have to protect her, Alpha. Promise me you'll protect her."The voices of children from three years ago. Screaming. Begging. "Please, Alpha, please don't—"And Elena. Always Elena. Not her voice—she never spoke in these nightmares. Just her eyes. Lifeless. Staring at me with that terrible emptiness, blood pooling around her broken body.I sat up in bed, my chest heaving, sweat coating my skin despite the cool night air. The darkness pressed in on all sides, suffocating me. The walls of my chamber felt too close, the air too thick.I couldn't breathe.I couldn't stay here.My feet hit the cold stone floor before I'd consciously decided to move. I pulled on a shirt—barely bothering to fasten it—and left my chambers, my mind and hea
Last Updated : 2025-10-24 Read more