Three days.
Three agonizing days since Claire had left the mansion and returned to her parents’ house. Three days of polite texts, short calls, and careful distance that felt like a knife twisting slowly in Xander’s chest. He had tried to give her space. He had told himself she needed time to process the rogue attack, Victoria’s return, and the weight of everything she was carrying as future Luna. But the mate bond didn’t lie. Something was deeply wrong.
Xander sat up in bed, wincing as the healing gashes on his ribs pulled tight. The wounds were closing faster now, but the healers had ordered him to stay in bed for at least another day. He ignored the order. He couldn’t wait any longer.
He could feel her through the bond — a quiet, guarded sadness that she tried to hide from him. She c
