Oscar:
I didn't look back - not at Jasmine's stunned face, not at Kieran's retreating figure, and definitely not at the mess I was leaving behind. My feet carried me across the stone corridor toward the west study wing when it hit me.
It was a dull ache, right in the middle of my chest.
I stopped mid-step, feeling startled. The pain wasn't intense, it wasn't sharp. But it was sudden, like something inside me had shifted. Bent. Cracked.
I pressed a hand to my chest and stood there, completely still, trying to understand what was happening. My brows furrowed as confusion bled into unease.
Why now?
The pain wasn't physical. Not like a cramp or the aftermath of a blow. It was something… deeper. Under the skin. It was like a pressure building inside that didn't belong.
I closed my eyes and tried to center myself, tried to reach out to my wolf, but he was already pacing... unsettled.
"Talk to me," I muttered under my breath.
