Romance

  Celena&#39;s Perspective
  This was utterly bizarre. What the hell was Jacob playing at? He came to me this morning, clammed up like a locked vault, and now he&#39;s vanished into thin air.
  Lily found me and handed me a folded note, her brow furrowed so deeply it looked like it could trap flies. &quot;Found this at your door,&quot; she said, her tone grim. &quot;Haven&#39;t opened it.&quot;
  Then I learned that Jacob, that idiot, had hastily sent a vague farewell to everyone through the pack link! At first, no one thought much of it—seriously, a cooped-up wolf blowing off steam after recovering from an injury is perfectly normal, right?
  But then the patrol team returned with somber faces, reporting they&#39;d seen him charge straight past the territory boundary, and... he&#39;d unilaterally shut down the link! It was like he&#39;d sealed himself inside an impenetrable iron box.
  

  Celena&#39;s Perspective
  Jacob was a complete and utter fool! Did he even realize what he was doing? I knew the rest of the pack was worried too, though they never said it aloud. What were hunters? Vicious scum who saw us as monsters—the kind who wouldn&#39;t hesitate to pick off any lone wolf! Him charging out alone was no different from offering himself on a silver platter.
  My thoughts tangled into a knotted mess, like yarn mauled by a kitten. The impetuous wolf spirit inside me—the one I secretly called &quot;the reckless mutt&quot;—kept prodding. Go to him! Now! He needs you! It clawed restlessly at the edges of my mind, desperate to break free from the territory.
  But I wavered. Going after him? What would that imply? That I&#39;d forgiven him? I wasn&#39;t ready.
  Just as my inner conflict peaked, that familiar, glacial chill washed over me. The wolf spirit&#39;s agitation 

  Jacob&#39;s Perspective
  Finally, the injury had fully healed. I could feel the strength surging back into my muscles—no longer that useless wreck who worried about tearing open his wounds with a brisk walk. All those days confined to bed, one thought kept circling in my head: I had to get Brett&#39;s stolen body back.
  Not for redemption—hell, I knew some things could never be made right. This was for Celena. I could feel it, that incident festering like a poisoned thorn in her heart, wedged between us. Unless I yanked it out, she&#39;d never truly look at me without seeing her dead brother staring back.
  I drew a deep breath and went to find her. She was sitting on the yard swing, rocking gently back and forth. Sunlight spilled over her hair, casting a golden halo around her. God, she was stunning.
  &quot;Hey, Celena,&quot; I said as I walked over, my throat tight and dry.
  She 

Celena&#39;s Perspective
  This was utterly bizarre. What the hell was Jacob playing at? He came to me this morning, clammed up like a locked vault, and now he&#39;s vanished into thin air.
  Lily found me and handed me a folded note, her brow furrowed so deeply it looked like it could trap flies. &quot;Found this at your door,&quot; she said, her tone grim. &quot;Haven&#39;t opened it.&quot;
  Then I learned that Jacob, that idiot, had hastily sent a vague farewell to everyone through the pack link! At first, no one thought much of it—seriously, a cooped-up wolf blowing off steam after recovering from an injury is perfectly normal, right?
  But then the patrol team returned with somber faces, reporting they&#39;d seen him charge straight past the territory boundary, and... he&#39;d unilaterally shut down the link! It was like he&#39;d sealed himself inside an impenetrable iron box.
  My heart plummeted, fingers turning icy. I unfolded the paper to see Jacob&#39;s familiar, slight

Chapter 217