Scarlet
My breathing came in uneven bursts as I turned the corner, heading toward my next class. The hallway buzzed around me—students chatting, lockers slamming, the hum of high school life continuing as if the universe hadn’t just shifted on its axis. I kept my head down, pushing forward, but my thoughts refused to settle.
Had I really meant what I said back there?
That I wasn’t interested in him?
That I didn’t care?
I should have. Every ounce of logic, every painful memory screamed that I should mean it. But deep down, past the layers of defiance and resentment, something still lingered. A pull, a tether—the mate bond.
And that terrified me more than anything.
The classroom was a blur. I barely registered for the lesson, my mind stuck in an endless loop of questions I didn’t have
