••{GARRICK'S POV}••
Alyra is awake.
She shifts beneath the blankets, a strained sound escaping her lips as she pushes against the bed.
"Mother—" Aldrick says, already moving to help her.
But for some reason I just stand there… frozen.
Aldrick reaches her side and slips an arm behind her back, the other bracing her shoulder.
"Easy," he murmurs, his voice soft. "Take it easy."
Alyra clutches at his arm, her fingers tightening as she struggles to sit. A quiet, pained sound escapes through her clenched teeth.
"Slowly," Aldrick says.
He lifts her carefully, inch by inch, until her back meets the headboard. She sags against it, her breathing uneven.
The room falls quiet.
Except for that sound.
That terrible, wheezing sound that escapes her chest every time she breathes.
And still… I don't move.
Her eyes lock with mine.
They're half-lidded, tired, but steady.
She watches me for a long moment before she finally speaks.
"How long has it been this time?"
My throat tightens.
