Chapter 004

TALIA

I bolted upright, gasping, eyes wide as I took in my surroundings. I was in my room, on my bed.

The room tilted, my head throbbing from the sudden movement. I shut my eyes, breathing through the dizziness until it stopped. Slowly, I raised a trembling hand to my forehead, my fingers coming away with dried blood.

So it wasn’t a dream.

I had really gone running in the woods and had really gotten hurt.

“Mate….” Cara repeated, causing the memories to come running back and a shiver ran down my spine.

Those had been my last words before I blacked out. But was it real? Or was I suffering from a concussion?

I thought about it, trying to separate reality from wishful thinking. I remembered the man’s face, his striking blue eyes, the way his scent had wrapped around me, and it was too vivid to be a dream.

He had to be real.

But where was he, my second-chance mate? Who was he? And more importantly, how had I gotten home?

Too many questions but not enough answers.

I had to find him.

I pushed out of bed, gripping the bedpost when my knees nearly buckled. Counting to ten, I steadied myself, then took careful steps forward. The pain was a dull, constant ache, but it didn’t matter. I would find my mate.

I remembered his face, and his scent. And if I had to run through those woods every day for the next ten or twenty years, then so be it. I clutched my chest, looking up to the ceiling like I was staring at the sky.

“Thank you goddess…” I whispered.

She had finally answered my cries, and given me a second chance, someone to take me away from all my pain. And I would be a fool to let him slip through my fingers.

Despite my body protesting every movement, I managed to shower and get dressed. When I made my way downstairs, I found Tessa already at the table, picking at her breakfast.

When her eyes met mine, they burned with something deeper than dislike now.

Hatred.

“Don’t bother looking for breakfast.” My mother’s voice cut in and I turned to see her standing at the kitchen door. “There will be no more breakfast for you until you apologize to your sister.”

I glanced at Tessa who was also staring back at me with disdain. I didn’t do anything to her, so why would I apologize?

But I didn’t say that to my mother or her. I just grabbed my bag and went to school.

At school, I pretended not to notice the stares or the hushed laughter trailing behind me. With any luck, some new scandal would surface soon, and yesterday’s humiliation would fade from everyone’s minds.

“Talia!”

A smile tugged at my lips even before I turned.

“Hi, Ruby,” I said, my voice lighter than I felt.

“Hi yourself,” she replied, pulling me into a bone-crushing hug.

Her smile dimmed slightly as she held me at arm’s length, studying my face with a worried frown.

“How are you doing… really?” She asked.

I sighed. “So you’ve heard.”

Ruby nodded. Of course, she had. By now, the entire school knew that Ethan had rejected me.

“It was horrible, but I’m fine now,” I said, forcing a small smile.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you,” she said, genuine regret in her voice. “I was so sick yesterday and couldn’t come. I couldn’t even leave my bed.”

“You don’t have to apologize,” I reassured her. “I know you’ll never leave me on a normal day. Besides, with a little luck, I’m about to get over what happened.”

Her eyes narrowed with interest. “How?”

I leaned in, lowering my voice to a whisper. “I found my second-chance mate.”

She gasped, then let out an ear-splitting squeal.

“Keep it down!” I hissed, glancing around.

“Okay, okay,” she whispered back, practically vibrating with excitement. “Now tell me everything.”

I rolled my eyes but linked my arm with hers, guiding her down the hallway. Stopping only to slam my locker shut, I recounted the entire story, how I’d run into the woods, the crash, the mysterious stranger. Ruby kept interrupting, demanding every tiny detail, her excitement obvious.

“And then I passed out,” I finished. “Woke up this morning in bed with no idea how I got there.”

Ruby’s eyes were wide when I finished and she looked completely blown away.

“Okay, this is great news,” she managed to say after a thoughtful pause. “But there’s a problem. How are you going to find this guy? You don’t even know his name. He could be anyone. He could be anywhere.”

I shrugged. “I don’t know, but I can’t give up now, right? I have to find him, or I’ll be alone for the rest of my life.” My face shifted into a sad frown. “And I don’t think the Moon Goddess hands out third-chance mates.”

“You won’t be alone,” Ruby pointed out. “You’ll always have me bugging the shit out of you.”

I grinned and patted her hand. “Thanks, but no thanks. I still want a mate. You’re not masculine enough for me.”

She mock-punched my shoulder, rolling her eyes.

By the time we walked into class, students were already settling into their seats. I made my way to my usual spot at the front, with Ruby sliding into the chair beside me.

“What if you don’t find him?” she asked.

I shook my head, unwilling to even consider the possibility.

“I have to,” I said, hearing the slight shake in my voice. “If I don’t, things at home are going to get much, much worse.”

An image flashed in my mind, me, years from now, still trapped in my parents’ house, being treated like a maid and slowly dying in pain.

Ruby must have sensed my thoughts because she squeezed my shoulder.

“It’s okay,” she said. “Statistically speaking, your life has been shitty enough and I’m sure you’re going to get a break soon.”

“Gee, thanks,” I muttered dryly.

But somehow, I did feel a little better.

I was watching Ruby peel the wrapper off a piece of gum when I caught the conversation from a few seats away.

“Heard our new literature professor is hot.”

I nudged Ruby instantly because nothing happened in this school without her knowing. How she managed to ferret out all the gossip was beyond me.

“New professor?” I mouthed.

She frowned for a second, then her expression cleared.

“Oh, that,” she said, popping the gum into her mouth. “Yeah, it’s true. There’s a new professor in town.”

“Someone said he’s hot,” I pointed out.

“Uh-huh. I haven’t met him yet, but that’s what everyone’s saying. Apparently, he’s way hotter than any guy in school.” She paused for effect. “Even Ethan.”

With a dramatic sigh, Ruby leaned back in her chair, eyes turning dreamy.

“Can’t wait to see him for myself. If he’s as smoking hot as they say, every girl here will want to fail just so they can retake his course. Like her over there.”

She jerked her chin toward a blonde girl brushing her hair and curling the ends around her fingers.

Speaking half to herself, Ruby murmured, “Hotter than Ethan… imagine that. If it’s true, then he really is breathtaking, don’t you think?”

I shifted impatiently. “Don’t know. Don’t care. Not even if he’s the Moon God himself. I just want to find my mate.”

Bending down, I unzipped my backpack on the ground, pulling out my textbook and looking for a pen.

Still searching, I suddenly noticed that silence had fallen in class. The kind that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

“Good morning, class,” a deep, husky voice said. “My name is Cassian Lennox, and I am your new Literature professor.”

Inside me, Cara stirred violently but I froze. A familiar scent of leather and wood filled my nostrils and my heart started to pound so loud.

Slowly, I lifted my head from my bag, my breath hitching.

Standing at the front of the classroom, staring straight at me with those unforgettable clear blue eyes, was the man from the woods.

My mate.