ASHER'S POV
šŗ
Branches snapped under my boots as I pushed deeper into the forest.
My legs ached. My hands were scratched raw.
I didnāt care.
Every step, her face flashed in my mind.
The way sheād looked at meālike I was no one.
Like all those nights, all those words, had never happened.
I dragged my hand over my face.
āLilaā¦ā I whispered. My voice cracked.
The wind swallowed the sound.
The forest felt endless.
The sun sank low, bleeding red light through the trees.
I didnāt stop. I couldnāt.
Sheās my mate.
The thought pounded in my skull over and over.
Sheās my mate. She has to remember.
But then I saw her eyes againācold, distantāand my chest burned.
Was I going crazy?
Had I imagined everything between us?
I shook my head hard. āNo,ā I said out loud. My voice was rough
