Willow's POV

The night was restless. Despite the exhaustion that weighed my body down, sleep evaded me. I lay in the hotel bed, staring at the ceiling, my thoughts swirling in every direction. Axel was fading. His pulse, weak. His body, drained. The color had already drained from his skin, and I couldn't stop thinking about the state I had found him in. It had been worse than I expected. I had watched, helpless, as his life seemed to slip away from him.

I couldn't rest, not when there was a ...