I wake up with my chest heaving, skin clammy, my pillow damp from sweat and—God, are those tears? My throat's tight, like I've been screaming for hours, but my voice is barely a whisper now. My eyes sting.
And then I see him.
August is sitting on the bed, leaning slightly forward, just watching me. His brows are knit, his jaw tense. Like he's been there a while.
"What happened?" he asks quietly, like he's afraid if he talks too loud, I'll shatter.
I blink, still caught between two worlds—the one with the forest and the wolf, and this one. This safe, normal, boring bedroom where none of that could possibly happen.
It's a dream. It's a dream. It's a dream.
I repeat it in my head like a broken record, like maybe if I keep saying it, my heart will stop pounding so hard, my hands will sto
