Asher
Hailey's shallow breaths haunted me as I stood by the window, my fingers curling into fists at my sides. The scent of her blood still clung to my skin, to my very bones, a bitter reminder of what I had done. I had fed from her, drained her, taken something she couldn't afford to lose. And now, she was paying the price.
Guilt clawed at my insides, gnawed at the edges of my control. Hailey had always been fragile—her wolf weak, barely clinging to the tether of its existence. I had known that. I should have resisted. Should have had the strength to push away the hunger that burned in my veins. But I hadn't.
And now, she lay in that bed, her body unmoving, her breath barely there.
I turned away from the window, my jaw tightening as my gaze landed on Kai. He stood near the door, arms crossed, watching me with that ever-present neutrality, like he wasn't the reason I'd lost control in the first place.
