Chapter 10
Trista's POV
After finishing the discharge paperwork, I waited for the elevator with my mom.
The lift arrived. The doors split apart. The cold metal line cut the waiting crowd in half.
I saw him immediately.
Cassian stood sideways, shielding Samantha. His arm formed a stable arc, a small wall protecting her from any bumps.
The mating bond gave a soft tremor behind my ribs, like a touch of a fingertip, then settled back into the ice.
We looked at each other for a fleeting moment across the crowd.
I turned and pressed the 'Call' button for the other elevator. I told my parents, "It's too crowded."
I hadn't been at the Healing Center or the pack territory for days.
The day I ran from the shopping center, I turned off my comm-stone and went deep into the Shadow Forest alon
