Ashina woke at 2 AM with a single, burning thought. Run.
She'd been dreaming of Silverpaw, of the freedom she'd taken for granted, of a life where her body was her own and choices weren't stripped away by teeth and force.
Now, lying in the darkness of her gilded cage, the need to move was overwhelming. Suffocating. The walls felt closer than they had hours ago, the bond in her chest pulling at her like a leash, Kendrick's sleeping presence a weight she couldn't escape. Now. If she was going to try, it had to be now.
Ashina slipped from bed silently, her heart pounding. She pulled on running shoes and clothes that would be easy to remove before shifting. Grabbed her phone not to call for help, but because the rational part of her brain insisted on having it.
