Claire ran.
She didn’t know where she was going — only that she had to get away. The image of Victoria’s half-naked body pressed against Xander’s bare chest burned behind her eyes like acid. The way Victoria’s hands had been on him. The intimate way she had leaned in. The satisfied glint in her eyes when she saw Claire standing there.
Tears streamed down her face as she bolted down the dormitory hallway, her sneakers slapping against the tiled floor. Students turned to stare, but she didn’t care. Her chest felt like it was caving in. The mate bond screamed in agony, a chaotic storm of Xander’s panic and her own shattering pain twisting together until she couldn’t tell where she ended and he began.
“Claire! Claire, stop!”
Xander’s voice echoed behind her, raw and desperate. She heard hi
