Hunter’s POV
I’ve never felt more out of place in my own skin.
Not during my first shift.
Not when I stood beside my father during a Crescent Moon training ceremony, trembling while pretending I wasn’t.
Not even when I first realized I had to bully others just to maintain my spot at the top of the pack food chain.
No, this is different.
Because now I’ve hurt the one person I was supposed to protect above all.
And every step I take feels wrong.
Every breath I draw feels tainted with guilt.
Jade hasn’t said a word to me since that morning in the hallway. I saw the way she looked at me—like I was a stranger. Like she couldn’t believe I was standing there defending her after years of being the reason she needed defending at all.
I can’t blame her.
I’m not sure I’d forgive me either.
