SEBASTAIN’S POV
I slumped in my office chair, my hands raking through my hair, my heart still pounding from the chaos with Isabella. Vanessa’s camera click echoed in my mind, that damning photo of me hugging Isabella now a ticking bomb. Maximus growled, restless, urging me to find her, to fix the mess I’d made. I’d been reckless—touching her hair in class, hugging her in my office—letting the mate bond drive me like a fool. Now she was out there, drowning in rumors, and I was the i***t who’d pushed her deeper. I shoved papers aside, my briefcase half-packed, ready to bolt out and track her down when a commotion outside my door stopped me cold.
Students rushed past, their footsteps pounding, their voices a chaotic buzz. “Did you see the picture?” one girl hissed, her phone glowing. “Isabe
