Chapter Sixty-Three

Zina

I met Leo's gaze, my eyes blazing as I stared at him. If he were a child, I would have smacked him on the head for wasting my time. I hated every second of this painful tension, but above all, I hated the tiny, scared voice that uncontrollably slipped out of my mouth.

For years, I had struggled with the emotion of fear. My head was filled with painful memories of that horrible winter night when my dad died. Alone in our house, my mom and I waited for him. Hours stretched into days. He never showed up.

One morning, after four days of waiting, the pack’s search team informed us that he was dead. My mother never recovered from that incident. It tore her soul apart and left a permanent scar.

A voice in my head told me that I would suffer the same fate, but I refused to believe it.

The world around me darkened, and I began to pant heavily as a panic I'd never felt before rose in my throat. I felt like my skin was burning as I jerked forward.

Leo looked confused, and I was irritated th