Chapter 37. Fractured Bonds

Alison’s POV

A pounding headache dragged me out of my unconsciousness, the relentless thrum behind my temples like a drumbeat of misery. My eyes fluttered open, only to be assaulted by the harsh light streaming through the curtains. The brightness was blinding, and I groaned, shielding my eyes with a shaky hand.

I wasn’t in the hallway anymore. The familiar scent of lavender confirmed it.. I was in my room. But how? My last memory was of me collapsing in the hallway, my body giving in to a strange dizziness. I didn’t remember walking here.

As I pushed myself up, the duvet slipped from my shoulders, and I realized I was half naked beneath it. Tension rose within me for a moment “Who had undressed me?” but before I could think further the bed shifted beside me. My blood turned cold.

Slowly, I turned my body to the left, my breath hitching in my throat. A man I didn’t recognize lay there, his chest bare and rising steadily with each breath. He looked to b