Chapter 106

VALENTINA The cold, damp stone floor pressed against my skin, carrying the scent of mold, rust, and a subtle sweetness that I found unsettling. It was a fragrance reminiscent of the walls within slaughterhouses. My lashes felt heavy as I pried my eyes open. Bars… Chains… A single torch sputtering against the wall, its flame coughing as if it were struggling to breathe. Shadows pooled in the corners, thick and watching. The memory flashed across my mind in broken pieces—Atlas’s voice behind me, the hard grip around my waist, the sudden tilt of the world, the sting in my neck like a viper’s kiss… A soft groan escaped my lips; that sting, it's like a sharp needle poking there… However, one thought made my heart flip as I glanced within my mind… ‘Kira?’ I searched for my wolf, but silence was all that embraced me. Cold dread rushed down my spine, reminding of the time when I lost her. No! ‘Kira?’ I tried again, pushing past the fog in my head with a throbbing heart. Nothing… No! No! No! I