Evaline:
The second Jasper gripped Mallory's wrist and tugged her forward, I blinked, startled, unsure if I had just imagined the tension crackling in the air or if the earth had truly tilted on its axis. But when I saw the dazed expression on my best friend's face—wide-eyed, stunned, completely mesmerized—I knew something very real had just happened.
"Wait, Mallory—!" I took a step forward, panic rising in my chest.
She didn't even look back.
But I barely managed two steps before a firm hand landed on my shoulder, halting me mid-stride.
"She's fine," Professor Kieran said calmly, gently but with enough force to root me in place. "Let them be, Evaline."
I turned to him, frowning. "What do you mean let them—what just happened? What did he do to her?"
Kieran didn't look concerned at all. If anything, his eyes gleamed with quiet understanding.
"They're fated mates," he said simply.
My breath caught.
Fated… mates?
