"I think you should see a doctor," Dallas said as they walked side by side toward the lecture room.
The words should have sounded simple, concerned, the way they always used to between them.
Instead, they landed awkwardly in the space between them.
Everything between them felt like that now.., strained, fragile, as if even the smallest sentence could be misunderstood or taken too far.
Walking next to him felt unfamiliar in a way Axel couldn't explain.
Instead of responding to Dallas's concern, the question slipped out of Axel before he could stop it.
"So, did you find your real mate?"
The moment the words left his mouth, he wished he could pull them back. He hadn't planned to ask.
But it had been sitting in his chest since the night before, growing heavier with every unanswered thought.
"No," Dallas answered flatly.
