Ashley's POV

The world seemed to sway beneath me as I stared at Caleb’s retreating, his words still echoing in my ears. The air was thick with the scent of earth and blooming flowers, but all I could smell was the metallic tang of blood from my nightmare, the suffocating memory of what I’d allowed to happen.

I felt as if I were drowning, my wolf howling in anguish within me.

“No!” The word ripped out of my throat, raw and desperate. I stumbled forward, my knees buckling as I tried to follow him. “Caleb, please, don’t do this. Please…”

But he kept walking, his shoulders rigid, his pace steady,...