ISLA'S POV
The pain finally stops around dawn.
I'm lying in the bed, completely soaked in sweat, my entire body trembling like I've been struck by lightning. My bones ache in a way that's almost worse than the awakening itself. Every muscle feels like it's been torn apart and reassembled in a slightly different configuration.
And through it all, Cassian hasn't left my side.
He's sitting in the chair beside my bed, and even though I can't see much through my exhaustion-blurred vision, I can feel him there. Watching. Waiting. Guarding.
Mira had been right. The awakening was violent. It was the worst pain I've ever experienced, and I've been beaten, rejected, and exiled. This was different. This was my body rebelling against itself, my wolf clawing its way out of a cage it never should have been trapped in.
And through it all, one thought has been burning in my mind, growing hotter and more insistent:
Cassian knew.
"You used me," I say, my voice hoarse.
