When I held him again, he stirred weakly, pressing his face into my chest.
“Mommy…”
That one word broke me.
“I’m here,” I whispered, holding him tighter. “I’m right here.”
I gave him the medicine, wiped his fevered skin, and wrapped him in layers of blankets. His breathing slowly steadied—but mine didn’t.
Something was wrong with this place. Deeply wrong.
And I finally felt it in my bones.
We needed to leave.
By evening, I changed out of my wet clothes, though my body was still freezing and my head spun with nausea. I didn’t rest. I couldn’t.
A knock came at the door.
“Luna Elira, Alpha Adrian requests your presence for dinner.”
I kissed Ezra’s forehead before leaving.
The dining hall was warm when I entered, filled with the smell of roasted meat—but all I felt was disgust.
Mira was already there.
Of course she was.
Seated right beside Adrian like she belonged there more than I did. She poured soup into his bowl, smiled softly, adjusted his sleeve like she had every right.
And he let her.
Like I wasn’t even part of the room.
I sat in my usual seat—far away, forgotten. They always assumed I couldn’t hear anyway.
Tonight… I heard everything.