All Chapters of Son Of The Betrayed-A Wolf Shifter Romance: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

After hanging up from Trin, I just sat there with the phone still pressed against my ear, even though the call had already ended. Rain hammered against the café windows hard enough to make the glass tremble every few seconds. Students kept moving outside through it anyway, backpacks over their heads, sprinting between buildings while headlights dragged across the flooded parking lot in long, blurry streaks.Normal…everything still looked completely normal.Across from me, Harmony slowly lowered her fork onto the plate with a soft clink. “That looked awful, shug.”I blinked and realized my hand hurt. The edges of my phone case were digging so deeply into my palm that little half-moon indents marked my flesh. Harmony leaned farther across the table, her brows pulling together as she watched me. The usual smart-ass sparkle she carried around like a personality trait was gone. “What did she say?” she asked.I dragged both hands down my face hard enough to make my eyes sting. “I think my

As we stayed still for several seconds, the background noise from the main lobby turned into a dull hum.Takoda lowered his head, his shoulders drooping as the tightness around his mouth finally loosened. Pressing his palms into his temples, breathing hard; he looked totally done.To keep my hands steady, I grabbed the strap of my bag, at the same time asking, “What does that mean?”Takoda’s jaw tightened up immediately…a small muscle jumping near his ear.“Takoda,” I murmured, taking a step forward, my wet boot making a loud squeak on the floor.He wiped a hand down his face. “You need to stop asking about my family.”I let my hands drop to my sides. “That’s your whole answer?”He nodded. “Yes.” He didn’t look at me, his eyes staying glued to the empty quad outside the glass.I shook my head. “No way.” Then stepping right into his space, I forced him to face me. “You don’t get to follow me around like a stalker is out in the woods, tell me my mom is freaked out by your name, and the

Nobody answered. Not Takoda, and not the other students huddled near the windows. Rain hammered the roof hard enough to make parts of the building groan while dim emergency lights buzzed weakly overhead, washing the lobby in uneven yellow shadows. Half the ceiling lights still hung dead above us, leaving sections of the union dark except for the glow of phone screens and the occasional flashlight beam cutting through the gloom.The parking lot outside looked almost black beneath the storm. Water rushed along the curbs in fast, muddy streams while wind bent the trees lining campus nearly sideways. Every few seconds, lightning flashed somewhere beyond the mountains, turning the fog outside white before darkness swallowed everything again.The shape I’d seen was gone. Of course it was gone, because apparently Black Hollow specialized in psychological damage.The tallest football player backed away from the doors slowly, rainwater dripping from the hem of his hoodie onto the tile floor. “

The storm still hadn’t let up by the time campus police started moving students toward the dorms. Rain battered the student union windows in relentless waves while emergency lights buzzed overhead, throwing long, uneven shadows across the lobby floor. The power still hadn’t fully returned, leaving half the building dim except for flashlight beams and glowing phone screens scattered through the crowd.Students complained loudly as officers directed traffic toward designated residence halls.“Are you serious right now?”“It’s probably just a storm warning.”“My roommate better not eat my leftovers while we’re trapped in there.”Normal conversations. Normal reactions. Meanwhile, my entire nervous system felt like somebody had plugged it directly into a live wire. Standing near the side entrance beneath flickering emergency lights, Takoda and Elias looked like men preparing for war. It was not panic, but preparation, there was a difference.Elias stood with one shoulder near the darkened

After Takoda had opened the door, I glanced back at Harmony where she stood beneath the student union overhang with her arms folded, watching me like she was mentally drafting my obituary and deciding whether to make it funny or deeply judgmental. Probably both.I paused with one hand on the door and looked back at her. “Text me when you get to the dorm.”Harmony lifted her empty hot chocolate cup in a mock toast. “Text me when you survive the tragic forest prince and his emotionally intimidating uncle.”Elias looked over from beside his truck. Harmony smiled sweetly at him. “Respectfully.”Elias stared at her for one long second before his mouth twitched. “You talk a lot.”Harmony shrugged, her curls frizzing around her face from the damp air. “It’s part of my charm package.”Takoda’s hand settled lightly against the top of the truck door, close enough that I felt his warmth before he even spoke. “She needs to get inside.”Harmony’s eyes narrowed. “She can hear you, Wolf Batman.”I b