"Then let me help."
"You can't help with this."
"Then at least let me worry properly." Ivy squeezed my hand tighter. "Promise me you're not doing something stupid. Promise me you're not going to get yourself hurt."
I thought about Stone. About the bond pulling me toward him even now, even from across campus.
"I can't promise that," I said quietly.
Ivy's face fell. "Lumi—"
"But I can promise I'm not giving up. Whatever happens." I squeezed her hand back. "I need you to trust me. Even when it doesn't make sense. Can you do that?"
She held my gaze for a long moment. Then, slowly, she nodded.
"Just come back," she said. "Whatever you're doing, whoever you're doing it for—just come back."
"I'll try."
Stone was worse.
I knew it before I entered his room. Felt it through the bond—a heaviness that hadn't been there yesterday, a darkness that seemed to be spreading. When I pressed my palm against the observation window, he didn't lift his head.
He was lying in the corner. Not pacing. Not watching. Just... lying there, his breathing shallow, his fur dull and matted.
"Stone?"
His ear twitched. Acknowledgment. But he didn't move.
Through the bond, I felt exhaustion. Not the exhaustion of physical effort—something deeper. Something that felt like surrender.
"Hey." I kept my voice soft. Gentle. "I'm here. I came back, like I promised."
Nothing. No response. No flicker of the anger or fear that usually churned through our connection.
Just emptiness.
I stayed at the window for an hour. Talking to him. Reading to him. Pressing my palm against the glass like I could reach through it and touch him.
He didn't move. Didn't respond. Just lay there, breathing in shallow pants, his golden eyes half-closed.
The bond between us felt thin. Stretched. Like a thread about to snap.
I found Neal in his office. He was staring at a tablet, his expression grim.
"Something's wrong with Stone," I said. "More wrong than usual. I need you to tell me what's happening."
"I've been monitoring his vitals all morning." Neal didn't look up. "I was going to find you."
"And?"
He finally met my eyes. What I saw there made my stomach drop.
"Sit down, Lumi."
"Just tell me."
"Please. Sit."
