Chapter 28: The Weight of Choice

Ryan’s POV

My eyes gradually fluttered open, and I immediately shut them again when the blinding fluorescent lights above pierced through my skull like needles. A groan escaped my lips as I lifted my hand to shade my eyes, cracking them open again more cautiously this time.

The pounding in my head was brutal, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as the sharp throbs coming from the cuts on my chest. Each breath tugged at the torn skin like a cruel reminder that I wasn’t even close to okay. I looked down. The gauze was already stained, and just the act of turning my head made my vision swim.

I was still in the bunker’s med bay. Sterile. Cold. Empty save for the low hum of machines and the occasional thump of footsteps echoing in the distance. Voices too—faint, familiar. My brothers. They hadn’t left.

That’s when it hit me.

“Elina…” I whispered under my breath, the name like a jolt of electricity snapping me into full alertness.