The world around me swam back into focus, blurry and distorted like looking through a fogged window. My head felt leaden, my limbs too heavy to move. But it was the ache in my chest—a deep, hollow pain gnawing at my soul—that finally dragged me into full consciousness.
And then the tears came.
Hot and relentless, they spilled over before I could even think to stop them. Silent sobs wracked my body, my shoulders shaking as I struggled for air, every breath shallow and uneven. It felt like I was drowning under the weight of it all.
I tried to move, to lift a hand and wipe my face, but my body refused to cooperate. I was too weak, too fragile, and the realization only made the grief hit harder.
A shadow loomed beside me. I hadn't noticed him before, but the faint scent of pine and something darkly earthy reached my nose, stirring a flicker of recognition.
The Lycan King.
