Mai's P.O.V.
The first thing I noticed was warmth.
Not the kind that came from the sun or a fire, but something deeper. A warmth that engulfed me like invisible arms, seeping into my bones, filling the empty spaces inside me that I never knew existed.
The second thing I noticed was the scent. Fresh rain, wild berries and the lingering scent of something undeniably familiar.
The third thing?
I was being watched.
My eyes remained closed, my body still sluggish as if I were waking from a deep, dreamless sleep, but I felt them—dozens of eyes pressing in on me.
It wasn't the stares that unsettled me, though.
No.
It was the voice.
Not the whispers that had haunted me since childhood, the wicked things that slithered into my mind when I was alone. Not them.
This voice was different.
It was clear. Strong. And it felt like it was meant to be there.
