Caspian's Pov

Pain.

It was the first thing I felt when I woke up. A deep, burning ache in my side, as if someone had driven a hot blade through me and left it there. My head throbbed, my muscles ached, and even breathing felt like work.

For a moment, I kept my eyes closed, focusing only on the sound of my own heartbeat. Slow, steady. Still alive. That was something.

Then I caught it.

A scent.

Familiar. Warm. Wild. The kind of scent that cuts through pain, ...