Chapter 149

Silvia Ice-cold water slammed into my face like a tidal wave, shocking me back to consciousness with a gasp that felt like broken glass in my throat. My eyes flew open, wild and disoriented, as reality crashed back in fragments. When I tried to push myself upright, panic exploded in my chest—my hands wouldn't move. They were bound tightly behind my back, rough rope biting into my wrists with every desperate twitch. "Fuck," I rasped, nausea rolling through me like a storm. My head throbbed with each heartbeat, a metronome of pain keeping time with my rising terror. I tried using my legs to get leverage, but all I managed was a pathetic wiggle that made my situation feel even more hopeless. *Keal! Keal, are you there?* I called desperately to my wolf. The silence stretched for a terrifying moment before I felt a weak stirring within. *I'm here,* she growled, her presence faint but fighting. * Stay calm.* Relief flooded through me despite everything. *We need to get out of this. Our pup—*