HAZEL
I’ll never be the same after this. But I keep calm. Wait for him to start talking.
“I’m sorry,” he starts. “I didn’t mean for you to find out this way. I’ll tell you.”
“Who is she?” I ask him. “The girl in the photo?”
“It’s not you.” He grimaces. He looks pained. “She’s someone I used to know.” Another gust of wind blows through my skin, causing me to shiver. Asher must be truly lost in his thoughts if he’s not even offering me his coat. Instead, he said. “Leah. That was her name.”
“What happened to Leah? Why do we look alike?”
“She died.” He takes a deep breath. This hurts him to talk about. But I want to hear it. I want to hear all of it. “She was my mate, freckles. We met freshman year of high school. I felt the mate bond with her and it was an instant connection.”
“You lov
