LUCA
My phone had never felt heavier in my hand.
I stood outside Aria’s door, the corridor quiet except for the low hum of electricity in the walls and the distant sound of passing cars on the street, outside. I had already called her thirty times, with ten messages. Each call rang until it stopped, unanswered. I knew she was inside. I could feel her.
My wolf stirred restlessly beneath my skin, pacing in tight circles. He could sense her emotions as clearly as if they were my own. Sadness pressed against my chest like a weight. Pain curled through the bond, sharp and raw. And underneath it all, there was the quiet, broken rhythm of her crying. She was trying to be silent, but to me, it was loud.
I lowered myself to the floor outside her door and leaned my back against the wall. My knee
