Chapter 108

Exhaustion finally dragged me under just before dawn.

It wasn't real sleep. It was that heavy, numb state where your body shuts down while your mind keeps bleeding. I collapsed onto the bed still dressed, surrounded by maps, reports.

Every second without Emily felt wrong. It was like part of my soul had been ripped out and left somewhere in those cursed mountains.

I barely remembered closing my eyes. Then, Asher exploded inside my head.

Something’s wrong.

I jerked awake. A sharp pain tore through the center of my chest. I slammed my hand against the mattress, trying to steady myself.

The mate bond.

Something was happening to it. It wasn't breaking—it was being invaded. It felt like someone had shoved their hands into something sacred and started twisting. A foreign presence brushed violently against the connection I had with Emily.

Claiming. Marking.

Asher roared so loudly my ears rang. “He touched he