CLAIRE'S POV
"What's going on?" I asked no one in particular as I watched everyone rushing out of class after Madam Gretchen's announcement.
"Hey," I called out to a girl walking past. "Sorry, where's everyone going?"
She glanced at me, rolled her eyes, and kept walking with her friends without saying a word.
I stood there for a second, confused, watching the steady stream of people heading toward the dorms. Something must've happened.
It would've been stupid to stay behind when everyone else was leaving, so I grabbed my bag and followed the crowd. Still, I was lost. I didn't read anything about today in the handbook and for some reason, the vibe in school had been off since morning.
As we moved down the stairs, I caught a bit of a conversation ahead of me.
"It's Zane, isn't it?" one girl asked her friend.
"Of course, it's him," her friend replied. "Everyone knows he goes crazy around this day every year. I guess Madam Gretchen is tired of casualties. Not that I'm complaining, at least I don't have to sit through another one of Mr. Edmund's lectures."
Zane goes crazy this day every year?
What the hell did that mean?
"Honestly," the first girl added, "it's been ten years since his mom died. How long is he going to keep mourning her? It's getting old."
"You say that like you didn't mourn your cat for four years," the other girl shot back.
Their voices faded behind me, drowned out by the noise in my head.
Ten years.
Zane's mother's memorial is today.
The thought made my heart pound, and guilt twisted in my stomach.
So that's why he had been crying in the shower earlier. I should've realized he was hurting badly. Instead, I let my frustration take over and I said things I shouldn't have.
And now… now I felt awful.
He must've been in so much pain. And maybe the only way he knew how to deal with it was through anger.
Looking back, I should've seen it for what it was.
If we had been mates, maybe I wouldn't have hesitated. Maybe I would've gone to him, reached for his wolf, tried to offer comfort. But we weren't. And that space between us felt too wide to cross.
I curled my fingers into a fist and swallowed the lump in my throat as I passed Madam Gretchen's office, heading for the exit.
Just as I walked past, the door swung open and a man stepped out. I nearly crashed into him.
"Oh—I'm sorry," I said, stepping back quickly. But then I looked up at him… and the words died in my throat.
He looked like Zane. Not a little. A lot.
Same sharp jaw. Same piercing golden eyes. But there was something colder in his. Something darker. It made my skin crawl.
"You must be the hunter's daughter," the man said, his voice smooth, almost amused. His eyes shimmered with something I didn't like.
And just like that, the unease in my stomach turned into something worse.
I clenched my jaw as I stared at him. "Good day, sir," I said stiffly and began to walk away.
"Accepting one's true self is the first key to breaking out of your chains."
His words stopped me in my tracks. My heart pounded and I slowly turned around to face him as he continued.
"You'll only hide your nature from others, but you can't hide from yourself." He said.
I forced my face to stay blank, but my jaw ticked. What was he talking about? What was the meaning of his cryptic words?
"You talk like you know me," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "All you know is my face and name."
"Oh, I know you," he said calmly. "I know the monster who birthed you, and I know he will never change. You are only here to answer his bidding, and you don't even know it."
A chill ran through me when he said that. My fingers tightened and my eyes burned as I stared at him. I wanted to say something but I couldn't choose between defending my father or lashing out on him.
I simply turned my back and walked away, hurrying my steps so I could just get out of there.
*************
Who was that man?
The question wouldn't leave my mind as I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling. He looked like Zane quite a lot. The same sharpness, the same quiet anger. But there was something else, something off about him.
And the things he said about my father?
That was creepy and scary. Like he had somehow seen the strange, cryptic messages sitting in my phone. Messages even I still didn't understand.
I sighed, and at that moment, my phone beeped. I grabbed it, glancing at the screen and I saw that it was a message from Caius.
"Looks like our lunch was cancelled."
I sighed again, tossing my phone aside. I didn't feel like replying.
Honestly, I didn't feel like doing anything. Except there was this dull ache in my chest, an ache I refused to believe had anything to do with Zane.
"Get it together, Cla—"
"Claire."
I froze.
The voice that called my name was small, almost like a whisper, but it was inside my head. I sat up, my eyes darting around the room.
"Claire..."
I immediately jumped to my feet, grabbing my head. The voice was coming from me. And yet… it wasn't me. What the hell?
"Our mate needs us," the voice said.
The moment I heard those words, something inside me pulled hard. It was like an invisible thread yanking me forward. It was stronger than anything I had ever felt.
I began to feel like I needed to see Zane, to take in his scent and to touch his skin. I clutched my chest, trying to force the sensation back but it only seemed to grow.
My body moved before I could stop it. I dashed out the door, letting my feet control me even when I didn't want it to. I started to walk, then run in the dark.
By the time I reached the dormitory gate, I didn't even hesitate. I sprinted outside, my feet pounding against the ground as I headed straight for the school.
I wanted to stop. I should stop.
But I couldn't.
Zane was in pain. I could feel it. And my wolf was reaching for him. She needed him and the heat of her desire burned in me so much that it felt like I could explode if I held her back.
I kept running and my breathing was heavy. I barely registered the basketball court and the tennis court as I ran through those places, heading straight into the woods like I knew exactly where he was.
The more I ran, the stronger his scent became, filling me and guiding me to him. I knew that I was close.
And then I saw him.
Zane stood facing a tree with his forehead tapping against the bark. His shoulders looked tense and his whole body rigid.
My feet skidded to a stop, my chest rising and falling as I took in the sight of him. I took a careful step forward, my hands reaching out.
But before I could say a word, he moved.
In a flash, he spun around and grabbed me, slamming me against the tree. His body pressed into mine, his breathing rough.
I gasped, shocked by the sudden move. My hands were pressing against his chest, but I didn't push him away.
I looked up into his eyes and they were different. They were darker and black veins crawled up his neck, his face, his hands. He was trembling with fury, his whole body wound tight like a predator about to strike.
If it had been anyone else, he would have killed them by now. I knew that.
A shiver ran through me, my wolf shifting uneasily. Had she led me to danger? She wouldn't, right?
But I didn't run. I didn't fight him.
Instead, I reached up, my voice barely above a whisper. "Zane…"
His body stiffened. I could feel the way he held himself still, like he was trying to fight something inside him.
I lifted my hand, hesitating only for a second before brushing my fingers against his face. I was surprised he didn't pull away. Slowly, almost unwillingly, he tilted his head into my touch, his breathing slowing just a little.
"You shouldn't be here…" he growled, his voice rough and strained.
"You called me," I whispered, my eyes searching his.
His eyes flickered. "And you came…" His voice was lower now and it seemed like his anger slowly fading. The dark veins on his face began to disappear as I continued to stroke his skin.
He lowered his head, breathing me in, his nose skimming against my neck before he pulled back. "Go…"
I shook my head, lifting my face closer to his. "Let me take your pain away, Zane."
He didn't answer. Instead, he crashed his lips against mine.