CIAN
I did not rush when I left the room.
Every step down the corridor felt heavier than it should have, like something in me was trying to hold me back, like if I delayed long enough, I could stay in that space with Fia just a little longer. The warmth of her body was still on my skin. I could still feel the imprint of her hands, the way she had moved with me, the way she had said my name like it meant something more than just sound.
But Gabriel was awake.
That thought settled in my chest and refused to move. It pushed everything else aside, even the frustration still coiled low in my body.
By the time I reached the infirmary doors, I had forced myself into place. I was Alpha first. Everything else later.
I pushed the door open.
The scent hit me first. The smell of herbs were everywhere. There was also a signature of dried moss in the air and something bitter underneath it all that always lingered in spaces like this. The kind of smell that clung to sickness and healing both.
