PAULINE POV
I woke up with the first rays of sun brushing against my eyelids, warm and insistent, like a gentle reminder from the universe: hey girl, it’s your day.
And for once, I didn’t hit snooze on life.
Stretching with the grace of a potato chip stuck in a couch cushion, I sat up and reached for the oversized hoodie hanging on the bedpost. It smelled faintly of cinnamon and fur—so basically, home.
Mew, my husky and full-time emotional support chaos gremlin, jumped onto the bed with the kind of energy only dogs and toddlers on sugar can manage.
“Good morning, furball,” I yawned, scratching behind her ears.
She gave me a full-toothed husky grin—yes, she does smile, no, I’m not hallucinating—and then proceeded to jump down again and head straight for the door. Tail wagging, eyes br
