Darkness wrapped around me like a thick, impenetrable blanket that neither comforted nor frightened me. It simply existed, and I existed within it.
My body felt heavy. Detached. As if I was caught between two worlds, neither fully present nor entirely absent. A veil separated me from reality and the cocoon of peace where I now resided. There was no time, no pain, no urgency. Just silence.
I tried to understand what was happening, but my thoughts slipped away from my grasp like sand.
Everything around me felt distant, as if the world had withdrawn itself beyond my reach.
Perhaps it was for the best. Each time I attempted to move towards the other side of the veil, a burning pain flared through my body, searing and relentless. Here, in this void, there was only silence. No sorrow. No agony. Only a strange, numbing tranquillity.
At times, I heard sounds. Murmurs. Voices, perhaps. But they were like whispers carried by the wind, never quite reaching me. I knew they were there, lingering at the edges of my awareness, but they belonged to a world from another existence.
My eyes remained closed, but even if I had the strength to open them, I wasn't sure I wanted to.
Where was I? Who was I? Did it even matter?
Here, in this abyss, I was safe. I didn't need to understand. I didn't need to feel.
For a fleeting moment, I considered surrendering to this peace. Yet, somewhere deep within my mind, something stirred. A quiet, insistent presence reminding me that there was something on the other side of the veil. Something worth fighting for.
The darkness thickened, pulling me deeper, swallowing the voices until there was nothing. I wanted to stay. It was safe here.
Yet, my soul wavered—caught between staying and returning. I knew that if I chose to go back, I would have to feel again. The pain. The memories. The fracture in my soul I had refused to acknowledge.
Something tingled over my body like a warm, golden light, wrapping around me like a soothing embrace. It was persistent, pulling me away from the void. It was intoxicating—pure, safe.
I felt myself being drawn further towards the other side, the burning pain intensifying with each passing moment. It was unbearable. Why would my soul want to return to this torment? I wanted to let go, to sink back into the nothingness.
But something within me refused to surrender. A force, delicate yet unyielding, rippled through my very being. It whispered to me without words, urging me to wake up.
I tried to move, to lift even a single finger, but my body would not obey. A sharp pain flared through me, and I let out a soft, almost barely audible whimper.
The warm, tingling sensation was immediately back. It touched my skin, warm and electric. The pain dulled under its weight. It was soothing, reassuring.
I felt myself slipping away again, but this time I resisted. I had been so close. There, in that shattered world where my heart lay in ruins, was also the only place where it could be whole again. And I knew, with absolute certainty, that I needed to return to it.
A featherlight caress brushed over my face, like a soft summer breeze. My breath hitched, and with immense effort, I forced my eyes open.
The first thing I saw was Egon. His deep black eyes locked onto mine, filled with concern and overwhelming relief.
He looked terrible. His hair was a tangled mess, matted and unkempt, a clear sign that he hadn't cared for himself in some time. His clothes were wrinkled, and his usually imposing figure was slumped with exhaustion. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, telling me he had not slept in days.

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Shifters - The King of Wolves - Book 1
FantasyShortlisted for the Wattys 2025! Living in a human town, Esmara has little knowledge of the seven kinds of shifters who rule the world outside of her safe walls. The horrific rumours and tales she hears from visiting travellers are enough to keep he...