McKenna had no energy left in her body after her first shift. For days she had drifted in and out of consciousness, drowning in exhaustion like her own skin had become too heavy to carry.
But this morning… this morning felt different. She woke with breath that didn’t burn in her chest, muscles that no longer screamed with every twitch. She opened her eyes and lay still for a while, staring at the ceiling beams above, listening to the quiet hum of the pack house around her. For the first time in weeks, she felt like herself again.
And then she remembered.
Her parents.
They had been brought here with her and McKayla. She remembered Azeo’s words at the ceremony—that they were alive. She clung to that memory, though the way he had said it unsettled her. Still, he might be many things—cold,
