Chapter 22

• I hadn't spoken to Xavier at school, and I wondered if he even knew Andrew was my mate. A wave of sadness washed over me, dragging me into a pit of despair. Yet that despair morphed into a burning anger. How could the Goddess be so cruel? Of course, no answers came forth. If Xavier wasn't meant to be my mate, then why had I been dreaming of him for so long? Long before I even knew he was real. I recalled every moment of those dreams with vivid clarity. I hoped—no, I believed—there was a deeper meaning hidden within those recurring dreams. I drifted off to sleep, Xavier's cocky smile and captivating eyes lingering in my mind and my heart.
• While Xavier occupied my thoughts as I slipped into uneasy sleep, he wasn't the one who invaded my dreams. I awoke before dawn, well before the birds began their morning songs. My heart pounded in my chest, and I felt the need to clench my fists so tightly that my brittle nails left crescent-shaped imprints in my palms. A few had even broken off, embedding themselves in my skin. Absorbed by my thoughts, I pulled out the pieces of nail, barely registering the tiny stings of pain. Compared to what I was accustomed to, it was nothing. I calmed my racing heart by focusing on my breathing: in slowly for four, then holding... 1, 2, 3, then out for eight. I repeated this a few more times until the frenetic beating in my chest eased to a steady rhythm, and the sensation of a boulder pressing down on me became more manageable.
• No, I hadn't dreamt of Xavier. Instead, I had dreamt of Andrew. My father's torture was brutal and painful, but Andrew's would be worse. I knew he would violate my body in every way he could, relishing the agony he inflicted. I also understood he would let his friends partake in that violation too. He did all of that, and worse. I distinctly recalled every second—how he had transformed into the Were version of an incubus; a male demon that would assault me while I slept, ensuring I woke to his hand over my mouth and my arms restrained so I couldn't fight him off. There would be no escape.