Aiden’s POV

The knock dragged me out of sleep.

For a moment, I didn’t know where I was. The canvas ceiling above me shuffled with the wind, the faint metallic scent of disinfectant clinging to everything inside the Safe Zone. My bones ached from too many nights spent bent over maps and casualty reports, from too many hours pretending exhaustion could outrun grief.

Another knock, louder this time, sounded.

I sat up, rubbing a hand over my face, the ghost of Rue’s name hovering on my tongue ...