Hunter’s POV
I sat through first period unable to focus, the sound of the teacher’s voice like static in my ears. Every time I blinked, I saw Jade.
Jade, as in my mate.
Jade, as in the girl I’ve tormented for years.
The girl I humiliated, mocked, and ignored. And now? She was mine. The Moon Goddess herself said so.
And she ran from me.
I deserved that.
But it didn’t stop the gnawing in my chest. The burning hole where the bond used to glow with warmth after that spark. My wolf—quiet now, as if ashamed of me—was restless, unsettled. But I had no one to blame but myself.
She wasn’t in class. Or in the hallway. Or at her locker.
By lunch, I’d circled the campus twice like a lunatic, hoping she’d shown up late.
Nothing.
I finally spotted Ashley near the school courtyard, sitting alo
