Jasmine's POV
Consciousness returned slowly, bringing with it a world that tilted and swayed like a ship in rough waters.
Towering trees formed a cage of shadows around me, their branches reaching overhead like gnarled fingers. Every breath felt labored, every heartbeat echoed in my skull.
Sharp pain shot through my shoulders as I attempted to shift position. The coarse rope binding my wrists to the rough bark of an oak tree had already begun chafing my skin raw.
Terror crept up my spine like ice water.
I strained against my restraints, but my limbs felt disconnected from my body, heavy as lead. The wolfsbane coursed through my veins like liquid fire, dulling every sense and silencing the voices of Judy and Atlas within me. Only Atlas's distant, frustrated snarl remained, muffled as though trapped behind thick glass.
A gag pressed against my tongue, making speech impossible. Panic threatened to overwhelm me as male voices drifted through the trees.
