The building stood tall in front of her.
Cold.
Imposing.
Unfamiliar.
The Lycan Academy.
Iva sat on the stone bench just outside the large registration office, her hands resting tightly in her lap, her fingers intertwined as if holding herself together, as if any moment she might come undone if she let go.
Her posture was straight.
Still.
But inside—
She was trembling.
Not with anticipation.
Not with excitement.
Not with hope.
But with something far more painful.
Her heart—
It wasn’t racing forward.
It was pulling back.
Wailing.
The bond inside her stretched painfully, like an invisible thread pulled too far, too tight, vibrating with a constant ache that refused to settle.
Longing.
Deep.
Relentless.
It had almost broken her resolve more than once during the journey.
