Chapter Three:

~Jane~

The bell rang.

And just like that… everything slipped back into reality.

Our world—soft, quiet, untouched—faded away.

Time was up.

Time to be apart again.

And no matter how many times it happened… it never got easier.

Our fingers stayed intertwined, neither of us ready to let go.

Around us, students moved past, voices rising, footsteps echoing—but we didn’t move.

We stayed there… holding onto the last fragile seconds.

Nathan’s hand lifted slowly to my cheek, his touch warm, grounding.

Like he needed this moment just as much as I did.

I barely registered Riley’s voice somewhere behind me.

“I’ll leave the two of you to have y’all’s moment. I’ll see you in class, Jane.”

Her words faded almost as quickly as they came, swallowed by the silence that settled around us.

And it was just us again.

Nathan leaned in, and our lips met.

The kiss was slow… unhurried… like he was committing me to memory.

My hands slipped into his hair, holding onto him, trying to keep the moment from slipping away.

For a few heartbeats, nothing else existed.

Just him.

Just us.

Then slowly… he pulled back.

My eyes remained closed as his forehead rested against mine, his breath warm against my skin as he inhaled deeply—like he was trying to take a part of me with him.

I didn’t want him to go.

But I could feel it—

The moment thinning.

Breaking.

I opened my eyes.

His expression mirrored everything I felt.

This was hard for him too.

His hand brushed gently against my cheek one last time.

“I love you, Jane Foster,” he murmured, his voice low. “I’ll see you at lunch.”

“I love you too, Nathan,” I whispered back.

He pressed a soft kiss to my forehead.

And then—

He let me go.

I felt it immediately.

That space.

That absence.

He stepped back, and with every step away, something inside me tightened.

Until—

He was gone.

Out of sight.

I didn’t move right away.

My body hadn’t caught up yet… like it still expected him to be there.

His warmth still lingered on my skin, especially where his hand had been on my cheek.

My fingers twitched slightly in the air where he had just been.

A quiet breath slipped from my lips as I stood there, trying to steady myself… trying to hold onto what he left behind.

But it never stayed the same once he was gone.

It never did.

Something in my chest hadn’t settled yet.

Not pain exactly… more like a pull that didn’t understand distance.

Swallowing the ache, I turned and made my way into the classroom just as the second bell rang.

And just like that—

The school day was beginning.

As I stepped inside.

The classroom felt too different from the hallway. Quieter. Heavier. Like everything outside had been sealed away.

Jay followed close behind, like always.

Even after all this time, I had grown used to his presence. From my very first day at this school, he had been there… watching, protecting, standing just close enough to remind me I wasn’t alone.

I knew why.

While Nathan couldn’t be here with me, Jay was.

Because even though things had been quiet…

I still felt it.

That lingering edge beneath everything never fully disappeared. Even in the quiet moments, it stayed—like a shadow I couldn’t step out of.

Sometimes I still heard him in my mind… like a whisper I couldn’t silence.

I prayed to the Moon Goddess every night to keep me safe. To keep him away.

Because no matter how peaceful things seemed now… there was always that thought.

That he could still find me.

That I could still end up like Sara.

The memory hit harder than I expected.

That night.

The way everything changed in an instant.

The way Zander looked at me—

Even back then…

Like I already belonged to him.

A quiet breath left me, uneven.

And suddenly I remember the note I read in that store at the mall. The words come rushing back.

“I have eyes and ears everywhere.”

My gaze moved across the classroom without thinking.

Everyone looked normal.

But what if… there was someone in this school who was his eyes and ears.

“Is everything okay, Jane?”

Jay’s voice came from behind me, steady but laced with concern.

It pulled me back instantly.

I blinked, grounding myself, before turning slightly to look at him.

“Yes,” I said softly, giving a small nod. “Sorry.”

His eyes lingered on me for a second longer, like he wasn’t entirely convinced… but he didn’t push.

He never did.

I continued to make my way to my desk beside Riley.

She glanced over at me, her expression warm, offering me a small smile.

I returned it, grateful for the normalcy of it, before taking my seat.

Jay continued past, moving toward the back of the room where he took his usual position—quiet, watchful, always aware.

It didn’t take long before Mr. Cole stood from his desk.

The room gradually settled as his gaze moved over the class.

“Good morning, class,” he said.

A few scattered responses followed as he stepped forward.

“Take out your books and turn to Chapter 25.”

The sound of pages flipping filled the room.

Placing my book in front of me on the desk. I then opened it, my fingers moving automatically as I turned to the chapter.

“I’d like for you all to fill these out while reading the chapter,” Mr. Cole said, moving between the desks as he placed a packet in front of each of us.

Once he finished, he returned to his desk and sat down.

The classroom fell into silence, broken only by the soft turning of pages and the scratch of pencils against paper.

I tried to focus on the page in front of me.

But my thoughts drifted anyway.

They always did.

Back to him.

Not in the same overwhelming way as before—

Just enough to feel it.

That quiet pull in my chest.

That steady awareness of him, even when he wasn’t here.

It didn’t consume me.

It grounded me.

And somehow… that made it harder to ignore.

My grip tightened slightly around my pencil as my thoughts shifted again.

Deeper this time.

Heavier.

I can’t help but wonder what my life would have been… if things had been different.

If Oliver hadn’t helped my parents get me out.

If they hadn’t risked everything to protect me.

To save me from Zander.

Even after losing Sara… they still found the strength to fight for me.

To choose me.

The memory of that night still lingers—the look on their faces when I had to leave them behind.

It breaks something inside me every time I think about it.

My parents were still there back in the Blood Moon Pack… and I didn’t know if they were safe.

The memory flickered without warning.

My father and I in my bedroom, the way he held me in his arms.

And when he pulled away, the look of sadness filled his eyes. Heartbroken that this could be the very last time we would see each other.

The thought of what they sacrificed for me followed me every day—quiet, constant, impossible to ignore.

And no matter how much I tried to settle into this new life… that part of me still ached for them in ways I couldn’t fix.

“Jane?”

Riley’s voice came softly from beside me, pulling me back into the classroom.

I blinked a few times, my vision clearing as I forced myself out of my thoughts. Turning my head, I met her gaze.

And for a moment… the weight in my chest eased.

Not gone. But pushed back.

Like her presence gave everything else space to breathe.

“Are you okay?” she asked, concern lacing her voice.

“Yeah… just thinking about some things, that’s all,” I replied, offering her a small smile, hoping it was enough to ease her worry.

Her expression didn’t fully relax.

“You seem to do that a lot, Jane,” she said gently. “I know you must be going through something. I just… worry about you.”

Guilt tugged at my chest.

“I’m sorry, Riley. I don’t mean to,” I said softly.

She hesitated for a moment before asking, “Are you worried about your birthday coming up?”

I paused.

Just for a second.

“A little,” I admitted.

If only she knew.

If only she understood everything that night truly meant… everything that could change.

“I just know it’s going to be the best birthday ever,” Riley said, her smile brightening. “The Moon Light Pack throws the best celebrations. Luna Lauren goes all out. And this is your wolf awakening—it’s a huge deal.”

Her excitement was genuine. Pure.

“Plus, I’m definitely coming,” she added. “I wouldn’t miss your big night for anything.”

A small smile found its way to my lips.

Even with everything weighing on me… I tried to hold onto that moment. To her excitement. To something simple.

“Thank you, Riley,” I said quietly.

But beneath it—

The worry remained.

The fear of what that night could bring.

The possibility that Nathan… might not be my mate.

Before I could sink too far into it, the sharp sound of the bell rang through the room, breaking the moment.

“Before all of you leave,” Mr. Cole called from the front, “if you haven’t finished your packet, I expect it done by next class.”

I slipped the packet into my book and stood from my desk. Riley gathered her things beside me, and almost instantly, I felt it—

Jay.

Standing close by.

Ready.

Together, we stepped into the crowded hallway.

The noise returned instantly.

Reality settled around me again