Hunter’s POV
The air inside the Alpha mansion was unusually quiet that evening, save for the occasional crackle from the fireplace and the murmur of my parents discussing pack politics in the next room. I sat in the study, flipping through the same book I’d been pretending to read for the past hour, but nothing stuck. My mind kept drifting—back to the storm, back to Jade.
She had run from me again. After everything. After our kiss.
I couldn’t even blame her.
I’d broken something in her that no apology could immediately fix. Still, knowing she was out there somewhere, hurting and unsure, made something twist in my gut.
I had just placed the book down and was about to retreat to my room when I heard the first loud voices outside.
At first, I thought it was just the guards being their u
