Lyla

Lyla POV:

I jolted awake in the midst of a dream, or more like a twisted nightmare where Noah, of all people, was playing mind games with me. The eerie feeling of being trapped in his dream realm made my skin crawl. He stood there, smirking like he owned the place – and me.

"Trying to fight in a dream, Lyla? That's cute," Noah mocked, his voice echoing around me. It felt like being wrapped in a thick fog, heavy and suffocating.

Memories started flooding back – snippets of conversations, encounters I couldn't recall before. There he was, lurking in the shadows of my mind, manipulating my thoughts. It hit me like a lightning bolt – the erased memories, the encounters in the academy jungle I couldn't remember.

"Why mess with my head?" I snapped, my voice trembling with anger and frustration. "What's the fun in playing puppeteer?"

His smirk only widened, a predator toying with his prey.

"Oh, Lyla, you're the eternal wolf, aren't you? I expected you to figure it out sooner. But I have to a