Scarlett's POV
"I was scared of what people would say," he snapped, turning to look at me with eyes that were pained. "I'm the son of the Luna. The Luna who was murdered in cold blood. Every time I looked at you, I saw the girl I grew up with... but the pack? They saw the daughter of the traitors who helped coordinate the assassination of my mother."
I swallowed hard.
"How could I be seen with you?" he went on, his voice cracking. "How could I be 'friends' with the girl whose parents let the killers into our territory? I thought if I showed you even an ounce of kindness, the pack would think I didn't care about her memory. I thought they'd think I was a traitor, too."
He reached out, his fingers brushing the stone between us but not quite touching my hand.
