Scalding Retribution

Valeria’s POV

The alarm clock buzzed, a harsh, grating sound that clawed through the silence of my small, drafty room. I groaned, dragging my exhausted body out from under the thin blanket. The wooden floor bit into the soles of my bare feet, sending a shiver up my legs. The lingering chill from yesterday’s storm still clung to the stone walls of the pack house, making the morning air feel like i