Chapter 65

**Chapter 65**

**Aria’s POV**

The weight of the world seemed to rest heavily on my shoulders, and Peter’s attempts to soothe me felt like whispers in a storm. His voice was gentle, steady, and filled with care, but it did little to penetrate the suffocating fog that enveloped my mind.

I shook my head, the movement small and defeated. Words lodged in my throat, too tight and painful to release. My wolf felt it too—her instincts were on high alert, ears pinned back, every fiber of my being taut like a bowstring ready to snap.

My fingers curled around the contract, the paper crumpling beneath my grip as my knuckles turned a ghostly white. I could feel the tension coursing through me, a tempest brewing just beneath the surface.

With a deliberate effort, I inhaled slowly, forcing my hands to relax. The document slipped from my fingers, landing softly on the edge of the bed where I had initially discovered it.

“Let’s eat before it gets cold,” I managed to whisper, though my voice felt fragile, barely escaping my lips. To my own ears, it sounded like the last wisps of smoke, fading into nothingness.