LOGINClinton's POV For a few seconds, I can’t even force words out of my mouth.I just stand there staring at her while my thoughts crash into each other so fast my head starts hurting.Catherine grips the handle of her traveling bag tighter and tries walking past me again. Instinct makes me move into her path immediately, but this time, I stop myself from touching her.I don’t think I can survive seeing that fear in her eyes again.Up close, she looks worse than I first realized. Her face is pale beneath the anger twisting across it, her eyes swollen from crying, her breathing uneven. She keeps glancing at me carefully, almost expecting me to suddenly turn into something else right here.That thought alone makes my chest ache.Danny couldn’t have told her everything.There’s no way he told her about the sacrifice.There’s no way he told her that she’s a talisman.“How much do you know?” I ask quietly.“Everything.”My stomach drops instantly.Everything.I shove my trembling hands deeper
Clinton's POV I’ve been standing in front of Catherine’s apartment for over ten minutes, knocking until my knuckles ache, but she still refuses to open the door.She’s definitely in there.Ignoring me on purpose.I rest my forehead briefly against the door and let out a slow breath.“Catherine, please.”Nothing.Not even footsteps.Usually, she would at least yell at me through the door by now. Tell me to go to hell or call me annoying or... something.This silence feels different.Heavy.I drag a hand through my hair and lean back against the wall, staring at the floor while exhaustion settles deeper into my bones.I deserve this, honestly.I left her alone at the hospital without explanation and disappeared. Any normal person would be furious.The problem is, I didn’t know how to face her after Richard died.Even now, the thought still hits me so suddenly my chest tightens again.Richard.I close my eyes briefly.I really thought he’d always be there somehow.The idiot annoyed me h
Catherine's POV I don’t know how long I stay unconscious, but when my eyes finally open again, the first thing I see is the ceiling above me.White.Still.Quiet.I lie there staring at it while my head throbs faintly and my body feels too heavy to move properly. My mouth is dry. My chest hurts in that strange, deep way it’s been hurting all day.Then my brain catches up.Danny.The wolf.Bones snapping.Golden eyes.My stomach twists instantly.“No,” I whisper under my breath, shaking my head slowly at the ceiling. “No, that can’t be real.”I swallow hard and sit there trying to force logic back into my head because people don’t turn into animals. That doesn’t happen. None of this makes sense.I probably hallucinated the whole thing.Stress does crazy things to people.Maybe I hit my head after fainting.Maybe Danny drugged me somehow.Yeah.That has to be it.But then my eyes start burning again, and tears slide quietly down the sides of my face before I even realize I’m crying.I
Catherine's POV My phone rests on my thigh while I stare at Clinton’s name glowing on the screen.Still no call.No text.Nothing.The silence keeps stretching and stretching until it starts feeling personal.He dropped me off at the hospital after I fainted, then disappeared completely. No checkup. No explanation. Not even one stupid message asking if I’m okay.Typical Clinton.Whenever things finally start feeling stable between us, he somehow finds a way to ruin it.I unlock my phone again and scroll through my contacts slowly even though I already know where his name is. My thumb stops over it.Clinton.One click.That’s all it takes.But my hand just stays there, frozen.I sigh sharply and throw the phone onto the bed instead.“Forget him.”The words sound weak even to me.I press a hand against my chest because something still feels wrong inside me. Ever since this morning, my heartbeat hasn’t settled properly. It keeps skipping strangely, hard enough to make me stop breathing
Danny's POV By the time I get outside, Natasha’s car is already disappearing.Unbelievable.She really thinks she can destroy everything and drive away peacefully afterward.My jaw tightens as I head toward my car. I’m already imagining dragging her back here by force just so she can explain what gave her the confidence to walk into Catherine’s apartment and ruin my morning.I yank the car door open and slide inside.The engine hasn’t even started before my phone begins ringing.I almost ignore it.Honestly, whoever’s calling right now has terrible timing.I pull the phone from my pocket anyway, ready to curse the idiot out, but the second I see the screen, I pause.Mom.Of course.A long sigh leaves my mouth before I answer.“Hello, Mom.”“Where are you?”Straight to interrogation as usual.I lean back against the seat and close my eyes briefly.“Why does everybody suddenly care where I am today?”“Danny.”That tone.Sharp enough to cut through irritation instantly.I rub the back o
Danny's POV The second I reach Catherine’s apartment, I start pounding on the door hard enough to wake the entire building.My chest still hasn’t settled since seeing Clinton earlier. Blood all over him. Tears on his face. That broken look in his eyes when he whispered Catherine’s name.I keep hearing it over and over during the drive here.Please don’t be dead.Funny thing is, I didn’t even realize how badly I needed her alive until those thoughts started crawling into my head.The door finally unlocks.It opens slowly.And there she is.Relief hits me so hard it almost feels humiliating.Alive.Breathing.Standing right in front of me.She looks different. Pale. Exhausted. Her eyes are dull in a way I’ve never seen before, as if she hasn’t slept properly in days. Even the way she stands there feels heavy.My heart starts beating harder anyway.I almost pull her into my arms right there.Almost.Then somebody shoves past me from behind.I turn sharply.Natasha storms straight into t
Catherine’s POVToday, the cafeteria isn’t as loud as it used to be. And right in front of me is Amy… staring at me like I’m a ticking bomb.Honestly, I might be.She grabs my hand and gives it a small shake. “Why are you so worked up?”I don’t answer.Because if I open my mouth right now, I might
Clinton’s POVMy phone starts ringing the second I step into the hallway. I glance down at the screen.Richard.For a moment, I just stare at it. Yesterday he swore with his life that he didn’t know what Jack was talking about. But the more I think about it, the less I believe him.Jack isn’t the k
Clinton's POV The rink glows under the harsh white lights. Skates carve the ice like knives. Sticks rattle against boards. Pucks snap against glass. Cold air slashes at my face the moment I step onto the ice.This place doesn’t just wake me up…it ignites me. My blood feels hot, my muscles are tigh
Clinton’s POVCold air burns my lungs as I step into the locker room. From the other side of the wall, I hear the rink…skates cutting across the ice, sticks striking the puck, players warming up.Scrimmage day.Practice this week has been brutal.Coach made sure of that.He’s been yelling himself h







