All Chapters of Mate: Part One: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

~Jane~As Nathan pulled into a parking spot in the school lot and shifted the car into park, I glanced out the window. Clusters of students standing in groups, laughing and chatting with their friends. My eyes scanned the crowd until I spotted Riley nearby with her group, just across the lot. Unfastening our seat belts, Nathan got out and came around to open my door. He held out his hand. I placed mine in his and stepped out of the car, grabbing my bag in the process. As I closed the door behind me, Nathan wrapped his arms around my waist and stepped in closer, pressing my back against the car. There was no space left between us. My heart raced, the effect he had on me nearly taking my breath away. "Nathan," I breathed, looking up into his eyes. "I feel it too, Jane. There's nothing like the way I feel about you," he said softly. "I never want these feelings to fade," I admitted, the words tumbling out before I could stop them. There was no one else I'd ever want to feel this way

~Nathan~Reaching the area where I was supposed to meet Oliver- or whoever it really was- I felt the unease deeper into my chest. I still wasn't sure this was a good idea, but I took a steadying breath and stepped out of my car. The fighters my father had sent were already waiting, their expressions unreadable, but alert. We silently moved together toward the meeting point, every sense on high alert. I knew this area well- every rock, tree, and place a man could hide. I gave a brief nod, and the other's broke off, moving silently to their positions, each one ready in case this turned out to be an ambush. Footsteps approached behind me- slow, steady. Koa bristled inside me, ready to protect us. "Hello, Nathan." That voice. Familiar. Rougher than I remembered, but unmistakably his. I turned, breath catching in my throat. "Oliver?" There he was, standing a few feet away, his eyes scanning the area like he expected someone to leap out of the trees at any moment. The scent of fear cl

~Jane~Sunlight filtered softly through the curtains, warming the edge of my face and rousing me from sleep. I blinked slowly, letting the light settle on my eyes, then turned my head just enough to take in the room. I was still in Nathan's bed, still in his arms. His strong, protective arm draped securely around my waist, his chest pressed to my back. I stayed there for a moment, not moving, taking in the feeling of being safe, of being home. Slowly and carefully, I rolled to my other side, trying not to wake him. I faced him now. He was still asleep, his breathing even and peaceful. I studied his face- his dark lashes, the softness of his expression, the warmth in every detail. My heart ached with how much I loved him. He had saved me again. Yesterday, when I collapsed at school, when I was swallowed back into that same dark void that had haunted me before, he was there. But this time, it was different. I didn't hear Aleu. I didn't feel her like before. There was something strange

~Jane~Darkness wrapped around me like a shroud, thick and suffocating. I stood barefoot on the edge of the clearing, the trees around me eerily still. The silence was heavy- too heavy. Not even the wind dared to stir. Then I felt it. The air shifted, charged with a familiar presence that made my skin crawl. "Jane." His voice slithered through the silence. He emerged from the shadows, his form familiar in the worst way. Black eyes glinting. A cruel smirk tugged at his lips. My breath hitched as he stepped closer. "Still pretending this is real? That he's real?" I backed away. "You're not here. This isn't real."Zander laughed softly, circling me like smoke. "Oh, I'm always here. In the corners of your mind. In the part of you that knows how this ends." I flinched. "Nathan loves me." "Sure he does," Zander said, tilting his head with a cold smile. "He says he chooses you. Says he'll stay." I swallowed hard, shaking my head, but the words caught in my throat. "Exactly." He

~Jane~Morning came, and still- I hadn't let go. I stayed tucked against Nathan's chest, wrapped in his warmth like it was the only thing anchoring me to the present. The scent of last night still clung to my skin. His skin. Us. But the fire had gone, leaving something softer behind. A quiet hum beneath my ribs. The ache was no longer heat- it was something else now. Longing. Not for more of last night. But for something even scarier. For peace. His fingers brushed lazily down my back, like he didn't want to break the stillness. I didn't either. But something inside me was shifting. Like I was waking up to the weight of what we'd shared- and what it meant. Nathan stirred beneath me, his voice low and rough with sleep. "You're quiet this morning." I nodded. "Just thinking." "About last night?" "Yes. And... everything after." He didn't press. Just let me have the silence. That was the thing about Nathan- he knew when to hold me close and when to give me space to breathe. I