Estelle's POV
The wolf whined low deep within my mind.
Each breath felt like sharp teeth scraping across my chest, raw and relentless. The shattered bond twitched within my nerves—like torn flesh, unhealed, being touched again and again.
I couldn't return to the project office like this, nor let anyone smell the scent of my loss of control. Scandals between Alphas were humiliating enough—I wouldn't let myself look like a discarded she-wolf.
I turned and walked away from the building.
On the other end of the line, Amelia sensed something was wrong the moment I spoke.
"Estelle?" Her voice dropped. "Your breathing… it's off."
She knows me too well. We grew up together in the pack; she knows I wouldn't shed a tear even if my bones were broken.
"I'm fine," I said, my wolf growling weakl
