SEBASTIAN’S POV
The late afternoon sun slanted through the blinds of my Crestwood office, casting jagged shadows across the cluttered desk, where student essays and lecture notes lay scattered, a testament to my unraveling focus. My pen hovered over a half-graded paper, the words blurring as my thoughts churned, consumed by Isabella.
My chest ached, Maximus growling low, his claws raking my insides, urging me to find her, to claim her as mine. I’d sworn to keep my distance, to shield myself from her pull, from the way she set my blood ablaze, her scent I couldn’t douse. But every moment apart was torture, her face haunting me—her tears in my office, her defiance in class, her laughter with Caleb a blade in my gut. I loved her, a truth I couldn’t deny, but that love was a weakness, a dang
