Elias’s POV

I didn’t sleep well. I don’t think I slept at all.

Every hour felt like a full night. Every blink felt too long. Every breath felt too loud.

My mind kept replaying Hale’s stare, the quiet suspicion under his words, the way he watched me as if he expected my skin to peel back and reveal something else underneath.

I stayed awake listening for footsteps in the hallway.

But all I heard was one steady heartbeat outside my door. Ronan.

When morning finally came, I opened the ...