Alexander's POV
I couldn't feel my arms or legs.
Everything was heavy—too heavy. It took a long, dragging moment before my eyes finally opened. The parts of my body that weren't completely numb throbbed with a dull, hot pain.
"Oh, you're awake."
The voice wasn't Louis. It didn't even try to be gentle. Cold. Amused. Wrong.
My heart lurched painfully against my ribs.
I tried to move—my fingers, my toes, anything—but nothing obeyed.
"Don't bother," the voice said, footsteps approaching. "It'll take a while before you can feel everything again. Louis overdid it this time."
Louis…?
A wave of panic washed through me, sharp enough to cut through the numbness.
"What… happened?" My voice cracked, sounding too small, too weak.
A low chuckle.
"You really don't remember? Interesting."
A shadow shifted into my blurry view, leaning close enough that I felt breath against my ear.
"You should've stayed where he put you."
