Ryder
Asher and I strode through the busy courtyard, heading toward the cafeteria. The noise of students chatting and moving between classes filled the air, but I barely registered it. My mind was elsewhere, fixated on one person—Ariana. I could still hear her words echoing in my head, her rejection, her fiery dismissal, and the lie she was clinging to about dating Ethan. My wolf growled lowly inside me, unsettled and annoyed.
As we approached the entrance of the cafeteria, I caught sight of her. There she was, sitting with her best friend Mia, laughing as if she didn’t have a care in the world. The sight of her carefree smile made something in me snap. How could she be so calm when I was practically tearing myself apart over her? How could she pretend that nothing had changed between us
