Chapter 72. The Praetor

ARDEN

Tessa didn’t say another word after that. I wanted to ask—had Rowan known all along? What were they to each other now? But the way her fingers twisted nervously in her lap and her eyes steadfastly avoided mine told me that pressing further would only cause her to retreat into herself. It had already taken so much for her to admit it.

Still, it made my chest ache. Mates weren’t supposed to be secrets. Mates weren’t supposed to hurt. I had hoped she would have a different fate than mine. In the short time I had known Tessa, I had come to realize she was a remarkably kind girl, devoid of sharp edges.

We didn’t speak of it again, and I allowed the silence to linger. Tessa would open up when she was ready.

By the time the third period rolled around, I was halfway through a textbook on the political dynamics between packs when the announcement buzzed through the speakers overhead.

“All students, report to the assembly hall. Immediately.”

Students