-Ezra:
The week after I left the pack felt longer than anything I had ever lived through.
Not because of time.
But because of him.
Everything I did—every step I took, every breath I let out—somehow led back to Julien.
Even when I tried to focus on something else.
Even when I forced myself not to think about him.
He was still there.
In my head.
In my chest.
In that strange, unfamiliar place inside me that I didn't understand yet.
I stayed near my house.
I didn't go far.
Didn't try to explore, didn't try to find my mate or anything beyond what I already knew. I told myself it was because I needed to focus. Because I needed to learn. Because I needed to understand what I was before I could even think about anyone else.
That was true.
But it wasn't the only reason.
The truth was… I didn't know where to go.
For the first time in my life, I had direction.
A purpose.
Find my mate.
