Kaida's POV
My head hurt and I couldn't sleep, even though the manor had fallen into complete silence, the wind outside howling like a trapped spirit, my heart was louder than the storm. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Lupus's back... tall, broad, and unwavering... as he turned into the woods that day. Then the whistle of the arrow, then nothing. The last thing I remember is collapsing at that place, so everything was a vision or dream? Lupus is not yet back?
I pressed my hand to my chest, right over the place where the bond used to burn warm and strong. Now it was flickering... cold, unstable. He was alive, I could feel that much. But he was lost to me. Not just in distance, but in memory. And that... that was worse than death ever.
I got out of bed and wrapped a shawl around my shoulders. The floor was cold under my bare feet. I didn't bother lighting a lantern. I let my hands feel the walls, walking down the corridor like a ghost.
