Jade’s POV
Something was different.
The air didn’t feel quite as heavy when I stepped onto campus that morning. Maybe it was just wishful thinking. Maybe after everything at the Moon Ball — the bond, the rejection, the unbearable humiliation — I was hoping the world would somehow lighten.
But reality doesn’t care about hope.
I tightened my grip on my bag and tried to melt into the sea of students flooding the front of Crescent High. As usual, the chatter hushed when I walked by. The usual whispering followed: “Omega,” “pathetic,” “why does she even bother showing up?”
I tried to block it out. Ashley wasn’t at school yet — her mom had a doctor’s appointment, and she’d promised to catch up by lunch. That left me alone again. Just how the pack liked it.
I reached my locker and kept my h
