The ceremony ended, but for Iva—
Nothing truly ended.
It only began.
The moment the final words were spoken and the students started rising from their seats, the grand auditorium dissolving into movement and chatter, Iva remained frozen for a heartbeat longer, her body locked in place while everything inside her spiralled out of control.
Because she had seen him.
Caleb.
Not as a memory, not as a dream.
But real.
Alive.
Present.
And the moment her eyes had landed on him—
The mate bond had snapped into place with a force so violent it had nearly stolen the air from her lungs.
Even now, as she stood up mechanically, blending into the crowd, her entire being trembled.
It was unbearable.
The pull.
It wasn’t just strong, it was consuming.
Like an invisible thread wrapped around h
