CALEB’S POV
The cafeteria’s buzz lingered in my ears, a dull hum of laughter and clinking trays, but it couldn’t drown out the image seared into my mind—Isabella’s flinch, her body pulling away from my touch, her green eyes darting to Sebastian as he strode in, his presence a storm that shifted the room. I slumped in my Novella apartment, the whiskey bottle cold in my hand, the amber liquid swirling as I tilted it, my feet heavy on the hardwood.
Talon growled low, his claws scraping at my chest, my heart pounding with a jealousy I couldn’t shake. Why did she react like that? Was she with Sebastian? Were they dating, tangled in some secret I couldn’t touch? The thought twisted my gut, my fingers tightening around the bottle, my breath shallow. I wanted her—her fire, her bruised strength,
