Chapter 45. A Mate’s Instinct

Xander’s POV

The night was unnaturally quiet. No crickets chirping. No rustle of leaves in the gentle breeze. It was as though the world was holding its breath, waiting for the first crack in the silence to shatter the stillness. My chest felt tight, an invisible weight pressing down with relentless force. I couldn’t explain it.. this gnawing unease clawing at the edges of my sanity.

Then, it hit me. A searing pain ripped through my chest, and I staggered against the nearest wall, gasping for air. Cain, my wolf, howled in agony within me. “Mate…” he rasped, his voice heavy with desperation. The bond between Alison and me wasn’t just flickering... it was fading, dimming into an ominous void.

“Xander?” Caitlyn’s voice snapped me out of my haze. She was draped across the couch in my office, looking concerned, her fingers twirling a strand of her perfectly styled hair. “You’ve been pacing for an hour. What’s gotten into you?”

I ignored her, my jaw tighteni