“Oh, I’m not playing,” she said, and then—without warning—turned on her heel and walked to the door. Before leaving, she looked over her shoulder and added with syrupy malice, “You might want to rest a little longer. You look sick.” Then she locked the door from the outside.
I rushed after her, but she was already gone. I jiggled the handle—it wouldn’t budge. She’d even hung a “Do Not Disturb” sign on the knob. I could hear the click as it settled.
When I thought the strange feelings subsided, it resurfaced once again. And then it all hit at once.
My knees gave out and I collapsed onto the bed, my body burning from within. My wolf howled inside me—desperate, frantic, needing. But needing what?
My mind tried to reach out, frantically calling through the mindlink. Alpha Ethan. Ethan, I need—
Nothing.
Silence.
No answer.
I curled into the bed, shaking and burning and breathless. My skin prickled like fire ants crawling just beneath the surface. My wolf clawed at my insides, and my heart pounded so hard it hurt. The nausea, the heat, the need in my chest—I didn’t understand any of it. I felt like my body was desperate of something.
And just like that, everything faded.