Page 71 of Noah

It had been so easy to picture a future with him.

To imagine waking up to his warmth beside me, to think about what it would mean to build a life together, to have something real and lasting.

But that future—our future—was at risk now.

If Adrian had his way, if he took his obsession too far, I might never get the chance to tell Jackson everything I wanted to.

My heart pounded as I focused on the incomplete mate mark, the connection that still wasn’t fully formed between us.

If the bond had been complete, I might have already felt Jackson searching for me, his emotions pressing against mine, desperate and wild.

But it wasn’t, and I had no way of knowing if he even realized I was gone. Still, I had to try.

I focused everything I had on the mark, reaching out through the fragile thread of our bond, willing him to hear me, to feel me. To find me before it was too late.

Chapter 19

Jackson

The momentthe pain ripped through me, I nearly lost control of the car.

One second, I was driving back to town, mind focused on getting home to Noah, and the next, a sharp, searing agony flared through the mate bond.

It wasn’t just a distant discomfort—it was raw, visceral, and real. My vision blurred at the edges, my grip on the steering wheel tightening as my wolf roared in protest.

Noah.

I swerved hard, barely managing to pull over before I did something reckless.

My heart pounded as I put the car in park and pressed a hand to my chest, trying to steady my erratic breathing.

What the hell was that?

I clenched my teeth, reaching through the bond, searching for any sign of him. But there was nothing—just silence.

That absence scared me more than anything. My wolf paced beneath my skin, uneasy and angry, his instincts clawing to take control.

Then my phone rang.

I snatched it up, praying it was Noah, but an unknown number flashed across the screen. Frustration and worry tangled inside me, but I answered anyway.

“Jackson? This is Carter.”

I frowned, my fingers tightening around the phone. Carter—Adrian’s second-in-command.

My gut told me to hang up, to ignore whatever bullshit he was about to spew, but something in his tone stopped me. He sounded off. Nervous. Rushed.

“We—we need to talk in private,” he said quickly.

“I can’t right now,” I snapped. “My mate’s in trouble. I’m sure of it.”

I didn’t know why I admitted that. Maybe because deep down, I knew Carter wasn’t cut from the same cloth as Adrian, Karl, or the wolves Adrian had corrupted.

He’d stopped a fight from breaking out before. He’d never seemed like the kind of wolf who enjoyed the twisted power games Adrian played.

“That’s why I’m calling,” Carter said, exhaling sharply. “Listen, I overheard some of Adrian’s followers earlier. They were bragging about how Adrian had plans for the ‘little wolf’ who humiliated him.”

I went cold. Every muscle in my body locked up as my breath left me in a harsh exhale.

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