#Chapter 71: Hollow Howel

Lauren The fluorescent lights of the hospital buzzed softly, a sound I usually drowned out in the chaos of my shifts. But tonight, it was all I could hear. The rhythm of my heartbeat, steady yet troubled, echoed in my ears as I sat hunched over my desk, staring at the blank page in front of me. My mind wasn’t in this office. It was back in the snow, buried beneath the cold, trapped in the moment Alexander found me—half-conscious, my body unresponsive, my wolf silent. I flexed my fingers, rubbing them against my palms as if that would bring some kind of warmth, some kind of familiarity back to me—like I was still in the snow. But no matter how many times I tried, I couldn’t shake the overwhelming truth that settled into my bones: I couldn’t transform. I had lost my wolf. The realization sat in my chest like a heavy weight, crushing the air from my lungs. I had never been the strongest wolf, but I had always had something. I was smaller, weaker, but there were advantages to m