Maria.
Days slipped past me like drifting smoke—unclear, fleeting, impossible to hold onto. One moment bled into another until I could no longer tell where one day ended and the next began.
Everything felt… distant, like I was moving through a haze I couldn't escape. And then suddenly, everything shifted.
Aidan announced the continuation of the competition.
The news spread quickly across the pack, whispers turning into excitement, tension rising once again. For a brief moment, something inside me stirred—relief, maybe even a flicker of anticipation.
But it didn't last.
Because beneath that fragile excitement was a heavier truth.
Adrien was still recovering.
The assassination attempt hadn't been fully resolved, nothing had truly been settled.
My fingers curled slightly at my sides as the thought settled deeper into my chest.
What if something happens again?
What if this time… no one steps in?
The unease refused to leave me.
