Griffin~
I stayed in the room longer than I care to admit.
After Zane—Cole Lucky—humiliated me in front of Natalie with that smug confidence and that soul-shattering stare, I wanted the floor to swallow me whole. I knew what I had done to Natalie in the past, and Zane made damn sure I remembered it. Not with words—but with the way he stood between us like she was his entire world.
It stung.
I was her mate once. I was supposed to be her protector, her future alpha. But I rejected her… because I was a coward. Because of Darius and his mark on her skin. Because she didn't have a wolf then. Because I was blind and stupid and everything a leader shouldn't be.
And now, she was so much more than any of us.
I curled tighter on the guest bed, my jaw clenched, my fists burning against my own skin. Outside the room, I could hear people bustling around, but I couldn't bring myself to face any of them—not when my insides felt like ash.
Then it started.
