It was around lunch time the message came in. Ravyn’s heart stopped for a second, her insides curling, compressing, threatening to implode. She stared at Sebastian’s text, reading it over and over again as if the words might rearrange themselves if she looked long enough.
What was supposed to be a good day—one she’d been looking forward to for the past five days—was now ruined by the short and precise sentence her mate had sent her.
‘Can’t make it back today, taking a few extra days to finish up here.’
Why?
It had never taken him this long to get back to her before. Never. Even when games ran late, even when travel was brutal, Sebastian always found a way back to her—or at the very least, a way to sound like he wanted to.
Her chest ached as the realization settled deeper. She was sta
