Now there’s something worse than absence.
Doubt.
And it tears me open.
My mind blanks.
Just for a second.
And in that second, there’s nothing but emptiness.
A void.
Like I’m standing on the edge of something vast and endless, and without her—I know I’m going over.
Voices filter back in slowly.
Distorted.
Distant.
I register movement.
The Guard closing in.
Careful.
Measured.
I snap back with a snarl, warning them off, my Tiger refusing to go down without a fight.
I don’t want to hurt them.
But I will.
That’s the nature of the beast.
“He didn’t say anything, Neta,” Reg says, stepping forward just enough to be heard. “I—I don’t know.”
Hunter moves closer.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Hands up.
Like he’s approaching a wild animal.
Which—yeah. Fair.
“Rob,” he says, voice calm but firm. “You’re scaring the hell out of everyone and endangering the Pride.”
I pace.
Back and forth.
Claws digging in.
