Bailey couldn’t breathe.It felt like her chest was being split open from the inside, like something sharp and alive was forcing its way through her ribs.Her fingers dug into the dirt as she knelt on the cold ground, her whole body shaking.“Bailey—look at me.”Xander’s voice sounded close.Too close.She didn’t want him close.She didn’t want any of this.“Make it stop,” she gasped.Her voice broke halfway through, turning into a weak, desperate sound she hated.She hadn’t sounded like this in two years.Not since the day everything fell apart.Xander’s hand hovered near her shoulder, like he wasn’t sure if touching her would help or make things worse.“What’s happening to you?” he asked, his voice tight.Bailey squeezed her eyes shut.“I hid it,” she forced out. “I hid everything.”His silence told her he was listening carefully.Processing.Waiting.“A witch…” she continued, breath uneven. “She masked my scent. Locked my wolf away.”Xander’s breath hitched.“You sealed your wolf?”
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