Natalie~
"Trust me," Jacob said, and the words landed in my chest like a promise etched in stone. "You're not alone. Not now. Not ever. You will always have me."
And gods—those words… they were everything.
Tears welled in my eyes as the weight of his voice settled into me like sunlight through a storm. I felt it—a tether, warm and unbreakable, pulling me back from the brink. I clung to that thread like it was my last breath, because maybe it was. Because if he was coming for me, then nothing could harm me again. Everything would be alright. Zane would be alright. Even Griffin would be alright.
I'd hold her. I'd trap her. I'd own this war in my blood. Because Jacob was coming. I just had to wait.
"I'll keep her here," I whispered into the void, into myself. "I'll hold her back with everything I have. I promise."
But then—
A sound cracked through the silence.
Not a crack of glass. Not the groan of a weakening prison.
It was laughter.
Cold. Low. Echoing. Laugher.
