Chapter 7: Skye

This is too much. It's all too much.

I make my way back to my apartment, the late-night air crisp against my skin. The walk, short as it is, gives me time to think. The revelation about Heather and Michael, Jayleen's words, the world I've been thrust into – it's like waking up from a nightmare only to find out it's all real.

Heather is mated to a werewolf. And Jayleen... Jayleen says he is my mate. The concept is foreign, completely out of my realm of understanding. But there's a certain pull, an undeniable connection that makes me want to believe him.

I push open the door to my apartment, the dimly lit space offering me a sense of familiarity and comfort. As I shed my coat and kick off my shoes, I let my mind wander back to the conversation earlier tonight.

"We were meant to be," Michael's words ring in my ears. "Just like you and Jayleen are."

Meant to be. The phrase is heavy, weighted with a sense of destiny and fate. It's overwhelming, daunting even. But why does it also feel