Claire woke up with swollen eyes and a heavy heart. The morning light filtering through her bedroom curtains felt too harsh, too normal for the ache that had settled deep in her chest. She had cried herself to sleep after hanging up on Xander, the sound of that girl’s sleepy voice replaying in her mind like a cruel loop. Xander? Who are you talking to so late? The words haunted her, mixing with Victoria’s earlier taunts and the constant pressure of the distance between them.
She sat up slowly, hugging her knees to her chest. The mate bond tugged gently in her chest — Xander reaching out, worried and confused — but she kept her emotions guarded. She wasn’t ready to face him yet. Not after she had ended the call so abruptly, not trusting him when he had never given her a reason not to.
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