Eric’s POV
For days now, I haven't slept right. Not really. I’d close my eyes and pretend to drift off, but my mind always betrayed me, dragging me back to the weight pressing on my chest like invisible stones.
That message had started as a warning. A flicker of paranoia. A single line that burned into my phone screen like fire.
“Does your mom know you’re bending for a Clawshade alpha?”
That first time I saw it, I froze. It had come from an anonymous number, no name, no profile picture, nothing but that accusation. I deleted it immediately, but it was too late. The words had already tattooed themselves into my thoughts.
I sat alone now in my room, the pale moonlight slipping through the blinds like fingers. My brushes sat untouched on the table. The half-finished canvas in front of me
