Chapter 8 The Morning After

Skye awoke with a pounding headache, tangled hair sticking to the side of her face, and the weight of exhaustion pressing into her chest like a stone. The blankets felt heavy, trapping heat around her shoulders. She squinted at the pale glow filtering through the curtains and blinked hard, willing her vision to clear.

When she pushed herself upright, a dull ache pulsed beneath her ribs. She glanced toward the small, scratched mirror hanging on the wall. The girl staring back at her looked like a stranger. Her eyes were red-rimmed and swollen, dark circles smudged beneath them like bruises.

She pressed her palm to her sternum as if trying to quiet the twisting, restless pain inside her. Why do I feel like this? What’s wrong with me? The mirror, streaked with dust and age, offered no answers.

With a sharp exhale, she turned away, dropping to her knees beside the bed, arms wrapped around her middle. She clenched the thin nightshirt in her fists, fighting the urge to sob again. A quiet emptiness yawned open inside her chest, dark and cold.

She stayed there until her knees grew numb on the wooden floor. Eventually, she forced herself to move.

Doing something is better than drowning in this.

She dressed quickly, fingers fumbling on the buttons of her tunic. The fabric felt coarse against her skin, rubbing raw where her fur was thinnest. She paused outside Kai’s door, staring at the worn wood grain, her breath catching in her throat.

What if Helena’s still in there?

The thought sent a spike of heat rushing through her chest. Her claws pricked into her palms. A tiny, mean part of her wanted to fling the door open just to see if Helena was lounging on Kai’s bed.

But another part — smaller, trembling — dreaded what she might find.

He wouldn’t… would he?

She knocked softly, then again, louder as the silence stretched. Nothing. Not even a rustle of movement inside. She pressed her ear to the door, listening. All she heard was her own shallow breathing.

She knocked once more, until muffled voices from down the hall started muttering complaints. Skye scowled and curled her hands into fists.

He must be downstairs.

With each step toward the stairs, her pace quickened. By the time she reached the restaurant below, her pulse thudded like a war drum in her ears.

The scent of fresh bread and simmering broth drifted through the air, but the room felt hollow, quieter than usual. Only Helena and her all-female staff bustled about, wiping tables and carrying trays, their laughter echoing against the wooden beams overhead.

Skye hesitated, her throat dry as parchment. She opened her mouth to ask, but Helena turned at precisely that moment, a knowing glint in her eyes.

“Looking for your handsome friend, love?”

Skye froze, her ears flattening. Something in Helena’s voice — the teasing lilt, the secret knowledge — scraped across her nerves like claws on stone.

Helena wiped her hands on her apron and jerked her chin toward the door. “He left at dawn. Thought you’d know. Didn’t want to disturb you, I suppose.”

Skye blinked, trying to absorb the words. He left? Her stomach dropped like a stone in water.

Helena tilted her head, watching her closely. “He did leave something, though. Paid for your meal.” She gestured to the counter, where a plate sat steaming. “And your month’s stay, in advance.”

For a moment, Skye didn’t hear any of it. Her ears were ringing, the edges of the room blurring as a bitter taste crawled up the back of her throat.

He left. He just… left me.

That jerk.

A cold, sharp fury coiled around her ribs. Not only had he disappeared without a word, but he’d paid for her — as if she were his responsibility, a problem to be solved, an inconvenience he could simply buy off.

She clenched her fists so tightly her claws bit into her palms. Heat flushed up her neck, stinging her eyes until her vision wavered.

Helena’s voice broke through the haze. “Careful with those claws, kitten,” she said, smiling sweetly. “Wouldn’t want you to shred my floors.”

Skye nearly snarled. Every part of her wanted to hurl the plate across the room, to wipe the smug look off Helena’s face. Did Helena know he was leaving? Had she helped him slip away before Skye woke up?

Jealousy burned hot in her chest, feeding the hurt like dry tinder. She pictured Helena, slipping into Kai’s room, touching his arm, laughing at some quiet joke Skye couldn’t hear.

Was she the reason he left so early?

The thought made bile rise in her throat.

Tears threatened again, but she forced them back with sheer stubbornness. She grabbed the plate, took one mechanical bite, and swallowed, though it felt like gravel scraping down her throat.

No.

She wasn’t going to sit here and cry. She wasn’t going to let Kai vanish from her life like he’d never existed.

She was going to find him.

Slamming the plate down so hard broth splashed onto the table, Skye pushed back her chair. She shot Helena one last glare, ignoring the other woman’s soft chuckle, and stormed out of the inn.

Outside, the city hit her like a wave. Sunlight glared off white stone walls, carts rattled over cobblestones, and hawkers shouted their wares. The air buzzed with the mingled scents of bread, roasting meat, tanned leather, and smoke.

Skye closed her eyes for a second, inhaling sharply. Then she tilted her head, ears swiveling, searching. Beneath the chaos, faint and elusive, she caught a familiar thread of scent — leather, steel, and something faintly herbal.

Kai.

She followed it, darting through winding alleys and crowded streets. Her heart hammered against her ribs, each footstep driving her forward.

Vendors shouted insults as she squeezed past their stalls. People stared as she bolted around corners, her tail whipping behind her.

She followed his scent as far as she could — until it vanished amid the press of bodies in the city center, swallowed by the crowd’s constant churn.

Skye spun in place, her chest heaving. Panic surged, drowning out the sounds of street chatter. She tried to catch the trail again, sniffing the air, but all she smelled now was dust, sweat, and too many strangers.

Where are you?

She clenched her teeth so hard her jaw ached, fists trembling at her sides. A hot tear slipped down her cheek, and she angrily wiped it away.

She wouldn’t give up. She’d keep looking. Even if it took all day. Even if it took longer.

Kai wasn’t leaving her behind.

Not without a fight.