The silence inside my bedroom was suffocating, broken only by the shallow, faint sound of Maria's breathing.
She lay in the center of the massive bed, looking small, fragile, and deathly pale against the dark sheets. I sat on the edge of the mattress, my head resting in my hands, my chest aching with a raw, agonizing pressure that felt like it was crushing my heart to dust.
Every minute that ticked by felt like an eternity. With every soft, weak breath she took, I could feel her life force slipping away just a little bit more. Her wolf was fading, growing weaker under the unbearable strain of an unfulfilled, lopsided bond.
Aidan stood near the fireplace, his arms crossed tightly over his chest, his jaw set in a hard, rigid line as he stared into the dying embers. Davian paced near the heavy oak doors like a caged predator, his boots slamming against the floorboards, while Adrein leaned against the bedpost, his face buried in his hands as he silently wept.
