?Chapter 653:


    Before I could respond, he turned and bolted away.


    Clutching the umbre, still warm from where his fingers had touched it, I felt a strange warmth in my chest. I couldn’t help but smile, though it was tinged with mncholy. Holding the umbre, I slowly walked back home, letting the rain’s rhythm wash over me.


    When I stepped inside, Evie was busy cleaning the living room. As soon as she saw me, drenched and looking like a mess, her eyes widened in surprise. She quickly tossed aside the broom and rushed to me, concern clear on her face. “Makenna, what happened? Aren’t you supposed to be in training right now?”


    I lowered my head, avoiding her worried gaze, and muttered, “I… I wasn’t feeling well, so I came back early.”


    Evie grabbed a dry towel, urgency in her movements. “Where does it hurt? Do you need to see a doctor?”


    I shook my head weakly, forcing a smile that didn’t quite reach my eyes. “No need. I just need some rest.”


    Still not convinced, she followed me, her voiceced with worry. “Makenna, if anything happens to you, promise me you’ll tell me. Don’t try to handle everything on your own.”


    “I’m fine, really. Just tired,” I reassured her, though the exhaustion weighed heavily on me.


    Once in my bedroom, I stepped into the bathroom, letting the warm water pour…


    Over me, as if it could cleanse me of all the aches and heartache. The heat seeped into my bones, but it couldn’t erase the sting of everything I had been through.


    After the shower, I wrapped myself in a towel, steam still swirling around me like aforting embrace. I headed for the bed, but as I was about to settle in, something caught my eye—a bowl of steaming soup on the bedside table.


    The rich aroma of the broth filled the room, instantly soothing my senses. It was the kind of warmth I needed right now.


    Next to the bowl was a note, neatly written in Evie’s clear, elegant handwriting.


    I picked it up with a tender touch. The words on the paper read: “I’m not sure what happened today, but seeing you upset worried me. No matter what, please take care of yourself. You know I’m always here for you.”


    Tears pricked at my eyes as I read those words. As I sipped the hot soup, it felt like the weight on my heart lightened just a little, as if her kindness was melting the coldness inside me.


    Even though love had been nothing short of a maze, full of dead ends and sharp turns, I knew I had something real—something true. Friends like Alice and Evie, who stood by me without question, made everything else bearable.


    When I finished the soup, Iy back on the bed, staring nkly at the ceiling. The warmth from the soup was like a gentle luby, slowly calming my racing thoughts. A deep, overwhelming drowsiness began to settle in, and before I knew it, my eyes fluttered closed.


    I drifted off into sleep, letting the world fade away, at least for a little while.


    Makenna’s POV:


    I found myself in an endless void, a nk expanse stretching in every direction. No colors, no objects—just an eerie, oppressive emptiness.


    Where was I?


    Each step felt like walking on air, weightless and strange, as if the ground itself wasn’t real. The silence pressed in until it was broken by a faint, pitiful whimper.


    The sound pulled me forward. There, curled up in the nothingness, was a small wolf.


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