Plotting

Levi

The candlelight flickered, casting jagged shadows across the old map sprawled before me. The parchment was worn, the edges curled from years of use, but I traced the borders of the Lycan Kingdom with a steady hand, memorizing every road, every weak point. It wasn't enough.

It was never enough.

The room smelled of old books, ink, and the faint burn of wax from the candle that barely illuminated the dark study. Outside, the wind howled, rattling the windows as if mocking me. My pack was restless. I could feel it in the air, hear it in the murmurs that never quite died down when I entered a room.

They didn't understand.

They didn't know what it was like to carry the weight of a mistake so heavy it threatened to crush you.

I let out a slow breath, gripping the edges of the desk until my knuckles turned white. Hailey.

Her name was a curse and a prayer all in one.

She should have been mine.