As the sun dipped below the horizon, a chill crept into the air, turning the crumbling walls of their refuge into icy slates. Zara pulled her coat tighter around her shoulders, her thoughts drifting between the weight of Mia's warning and the memory of Kit's innocent "Mom."
Leo stirred beside her, his small body nestled into her side. His face was soft with the peacefulness of sleep, his breaths steady but faint, a rhythm she'd grown hyperaware of in the past weeks. She brushed a stray curl off his forehead, her fingers lingering for a moment.
I'm not his mother, she reminded herself, though the thought felt increasingly hollow. Yet, how could she not protect him like he was her own?
