When I woke, the world was muted. Grey, blurred shapes swirled around me, the forest replaced by a strange, echoing silence. My chest heaved, wolf thrumming beneath my ribs, claws digging into dirt I couldn’t see, hands gripping nothing. Threads of magic crackled faintly in my vision, like remnants of the Mirror’s pulse.
“Sage?”
Jax’s voice cut through the haze, sharp and desperate. I forced my eyes open, and there he was, crouched nearby, amber eyes wide with fear and relief. His hands hovered over mine, but not touching, as if afraid that I’d vanish again.
“I…I’m here,” I rasped, voice hoarse. My head throbbed violently, memory of the shadows lunging, the Mirror ripping, fragments spiraling… it all returned in jagged flashes.
Jax’s hand closed over mine finally, grounding me. “Don’t
