***Crystal POV***
The sound of Dustin’s footsteps faded, leaving the corridor thick with silence. Crystal pressed her back harder against the wall, as if the stone could hold her together when her insides felt like they were coming apart.
Her cheek still burned where his hand had touched her. The warmth lingered, branded into her skin, into her memory.
Why did he pull away?
Her chest rose and fell in sharp breaths, the bond humming so strongly now she swore it was a physical thread pulling at her ribs. Every part of her wolf wanted to chase him down, to close that impossible gap and finish what he’d denied.
Bree’s voice came, sharper than before, edged with the authority of something greater. "You saw it. He nearly gave in. His walls are cracking, and soon the bond will claim him."
C
