LAYLA
There are moments where you think the worst has already happened, that the storm has passed and left nothing else to take from you. And then, as if the universe isn't quite finished, you're reminded that things can still get worse.
I chuckled bitterly, the sound dry and humorless as tears trailed down my cheeks. So, this would be how I die.
Not even at the hands of the Lycan King, as I had once thought. No dramatic end, no poetic justice. Just this—weak, broken, and cursed by the goddess. It was almost laughable.
I had been in bed for days, too weak to move. My body was hot and feverish, a fire raging beneath my skin, but no amount of blankets or cool cloths could soothe it. Every breath felt labored, and sometimes, out of nowhere, a pain so sharp and sudden would strike me that it stole the air from my lungs entirely.
