Chapter 66

**Aria’s POV**

I couldn’t tell how long I had been sitting there, my eyes wide open, fixated on the oppressive darkness that enveloped me. My wolf was ever vigilant, even as my thoughts drifted into a restless haze—alert yet tense, like a coiled spring waiting to snap.

After what felt like an eternity, a delicate sliver of moonlight broke free from the clutches of the clouds, spilling silvery illumination through the branches outside. The shadows danced along the walls, twisting into grotesque forms that resembled wolves, hunched and snarling in the dim light.

My heart pounded loudly in my chest, each beat a painful reminder that it felt too confined within my ribcage. My wolf stirred beneath my skin, restless and uneasy, pacing as if sensing a threat lurking even in the stillness of the room.

Perhaps the tranquil life I had been striving to construct had already crumbled around me, and I hadn’t even realized it.

Just then, Lana stirred in my arms, letting out a tiny, fussy sound—a soft whimper that jolted me from the numb fog that had been swallowing me whole. I blinked rapidly, my mind clawing its way back from that hollow, frozen abyss.

“Shh, baby… I’m here,” I whispered softly, my voice barely above a breath.