Zero Feet Apart

CHAPTER 1

Eva's POV 

"Get your shit and get out. I need this place to be cleared by noon."

The landlord stood on the porch with his arms crossed. He looked at us like we were nothing but trash. My mom was crying softly. Her hands shook as she tried to tape up another box. My dad just stood there staring at everything we owned piled on the floor, furniture, clothes, cleaning supplies, all thrown together like garbage.

We had nowhere left to go.

Two months ago, my parents lost their jobs at Lunar Ridge Academy. Someone planted fake theft charges on them. Everyone knew it was bullshit, but no one would stand up to the Vance family. When the Principal's son pointed the finger at you, you were done. No real investigation. No chance to fight it. Just fired and blacklisted.

Their savings ran out last week.

Now we were getting kicked out.

My dad looked ten years older than he did three months ago. His shoulders slumped. Defeat was all over his face. My mom could not stop crying. I wanted to hug her, but a heavy wave of panic crushed my chest. Every slammed door or taped box made my hands shake. It got hard to breathe. This was all my fault.

Then a sleek black sports car pulled up to the curb. My stomach dropped.

The door opened and Cassian Vance stepped out. He looked perfect, like always expensive clothes, styled hair, that arrogant smile I hated. He leaned against his car and watched us with amusement.

"Who are you?" my dad asked, stepping in front of my mom.

Cassian ignored him. His golden eyes locked right on me.

"This is sad," he said, looking at our stuff on the sidewalk. "Really sad. It didn't have to be this way."

"Get the fuck out of here," I growled.

Cassian's smile grew bigger. "All you had to do was say yes, Eva. One word. Accept the mate bond and I would have fixed everything. Your parents would still have their jobs. You would still have your scholarship. But you just had to be stubborn."

My mom looked at me with desperate, confused eyes. She did not understand why this rich academy boy was offering help or why I would not take it.

I walked up to Cassian. I was tired and broken, but I still had enough fight left.

"I will never accept the bond," I said. "I will rather die than belong to you."

Cassian's smile disappeared. His eyes flashed gold for a second. His Alpha wolf pushed close to the surface. Then he got control again and the cold mask came back.

"Then you made your choice."

He got back in his car and drove away.

"What was that about?" my dad asked, his voice shaking. "What bond?"

I could not answer. How could I explain that Cassian thought I was his fated mate? That he destroyed our lives because I said no? That I just threw away our last chance because I refused to be owned by him?

I had fucked us all.

We packed what we could fit into our old maintenance truck. The plan was to drive down the mountain pass to my mom's distant relatives and beg for a place to stay. It was humiliating, but we had no other choice anyways.

I sat in the back seat. My dad started the engine. My mom stayed quiet in the front, staring out the window with empty eyes. No one spoke.

I looked out the window and thought about the last three months.

It started at a party. A back-to-school thing in the VIP lounge. Cassian cornered me and asked me to be his mate. I said no. I thought that would end it.

I was wrong.

Cassian did not take rejection well. In one week he spread rumors about me. Called me a slut. Said I threw myself at guys. Got his rich friends to harass me. They made my life as a work-study student hell. They destroyed my uniforms, locked me out of places, and treated me like dirt.

Then he went after my parents.

Equipment started disappearing from the facility department where they worked. Every missing magical artifact happened on my dad's shift. It was obvious, but Cassian had power and my parents were nobodies. The financial office fired my dad right away. My mom got fired the next day for "association."

No one would hire them after that. The Vance name made sure of it.

We burned through our savings. I picked up extra shifts, but it was never enough. Strange migraines started hitting me hard. A deep burn flared in my chest. Sometimes I tasted blood in my mouth.

And now we were here. Homeless. Running.

The drive stayed quiet. My dad watched the road. My mom cried without sound. I sat in the back feeling the weight of everything.

Maybe I should have said yes. Accepted the bond. Let Cassian win.

No.

I would rather die than be his.

The mountain road was narrow and winding. Trees closed in on both sides. It was getting dark.

My dad pressed the brakes on a sharp curve. Nothing happened.

He pressed harder. The truck did not slow down.

"David?" my mom's voice was full of fear.

"The brakes..." My dad pumped the pedal again and again. "They're not working."

Panic filled his face. The curve came too fast. The truck sped up.

My mom screamed.

I grabbed the back of her seat, but it was useless.

The truck flew off the road. For one terrible moment we were in the air. Then we crashed down the slope, rolling and smashing into rocks and trees. Metal screamed. Glass broke. Everything moved too fast.

When the truck finally stopped, pain was everywhere in my body.

I was trapped in the back seat. Something pinned my legs. I could not move. I looked at the front.

My mom's head was at a wrong angle. Her eyes were open but empty.

"Mom?"

She did not answer.

My dad slumped over the wheel. Blood covered the dashboard and pooled in his lap.

"Dad?"

No answer.

I tried to reach them but could not. Pain burned like fire in my veins. I could not feel my legs. Blood soaked my shirt. Too much blood.

This was it. This was how I died.

Eighteen years old. Poor. Hated. Broken.

My vision blurred. I thought about Cassian's smirk when he left our eviction. Did he cut the brakes? Or was this just bad luck finishing the job?

I should have felt more screaming, crying, but I mostly felt tired.

My mom's hand was so close but I could not reach it. I wanted to hold it one more time. Tell her I was sorry. Sorry for saying no to Cassian. Sorry for being too stubborn. Sorry for everything.

The cold spread through me. My eyes grew heavy.

Maybe dying was not so bad. At least it would be over.

As everything went black, I heard someone calling my name from far away.

"Eva? Eva?"

The voice sounded familiar.

My eyes opened slowly.

I was not in the crashed truck.

I was lying on a soft leather couch. Loud music pounded around me. People laughed and talked. Glasses clinked. Someone tapped my shoulder.

"Eva, wake up."

I blinked, totally lost.

I knew that voice.

I looked up and saw Cassian's face. He looked annoyed and arrogant.

"Cassian?”