Maria.
I woke with Adrien's arm locked around my waist, heavy and possessive, as though it had been placed there to remind me of my place even in sleep. I should have felt warmth, comfort, the kind that came from sharing a bed with someone else. Instead, a cold ache settled deep in my chest, spreading slowly until it pressed against my ribs. To him, I wasn't cherished or wanted. I was only a body beside his, something to occupy the empty space and keep the night at bay.
Dawn hovered just beyond the curtains, the world outside drowned in pale fog. The air was quiet, fragile, as though the pack itself still slept. To me, it felt like the only window of freedom I would get. If I could just slip away now, before anyone stirred, before questions were asked or eyes lingered too long, I might escape unseen.
Carefully, I shifted, trying to ease his arm from around my waist. I barely moved an inch before his voice cut through the stillness.
