  Celena&#39;s Perspective
  Damn, the atmosphere in this car was thick enough to choke on.
  I slumped in the passenger seat, pretending to watch the landscape blur past the window, but every one of my senses was traitorously zeroed in on the man behind the wheel. Had I been too impulsive, coming along like this? That reckless wolf spirit in my head had completely taken over, shoving me onto this path.
  Now, this enclosed space felt like a concentrated jar of Jacob&#39;s essence. His familiar scent—a mix of sun-warmed fur, forest earth, and that uniquely appealing male musk—swirled around me, inescapable. It was infuriatingly comforting, making my fingers itch to reach over, to bury my face against the solid strength of his shoulder, just like we used to.
  The coffee cup I clutched still held the residual warmth from his hands, a heat that seeped into my palm and sent a restless flutt

  Celena&#39;s Perspective
  That idiot! How did he manage to get himself cut dealing with two bumbling, amateur human thugs? I could have handled it perfectly well on my own. A slight burst of werewolf speed was all it would have taken to drop the guy with the knife. I didn&#39;t need him charging in like some action hero to take the blow for me... Well, okay, not exactly take the blow, but the result is still this gash on his arm.
  My fingers worked deftly, tying an efficient knot in the bandage around his solid forearm while I silently grumbled. Strangely, beneath the annoyance, a trickle of undeniable sweetness seeped through, like honey leaking from a cracked jar. This was how we used to be. Whether it was me bruising my knee during training or him getting scratched by branches on patrol, one of us would always patch up the other—clumsily applying ointment, accompanied by a mix of 

  Celena&#39;s Perspective
  Jacob was a complete and utter fool! Did he even realize what he was doing? I knew the rest of the pack was worried too, though they never said it aloud. What were hunters? Vicious scum who saw us as monsters—the kind who wouldn&#39;t hesitate to pick off any lone wolf! Him charging out alone was no different from offering himself on a silver platter.
  My thoughts tangled into a knotted mess, like yarn mauled by a kitten. The impetuous wolf spirit inside me—the one I secretly called &quot;the reckless mutt&quot;—kept prodding. Go to him! Now! He needs you! It clawed restlessly at the edges of my mind, desperate to break free from the territory.
  But I wavered. Going after him? What would that imply? That I&#39;d forgiven him? I wasn&#39;t ready.
  Just as my inner conflict peaked, that familiar, glacial chill washed over me. The wolf spirit&#39;s agitation 

Celena&#39;s Perspective
  Damn, the atmosphere in this car was thick enough to choke on.
  I slumped in the passenger seat, pretending to watch the landscape blur past the window, but every one of my senses was traitorously zeroed in on the man behind the wheel. Had I been too impulsive, coming along like this? That reckless wolf spirit in my head had completely taken over, shoving me onto this path.
  Now, this enclosed space felt like a concentrated jar of Jacob&#39;s essence. His familiar scent—a mix of sun-warmed fur, forest earth, and that uniquely appealing male musk—swirled around me, inescapable. It was infuriatingly comforting, making my fingers itch to reach over, to bury my face against the solid strength of his shoulder, just like we used to.
  The coffee cup I clutched still held the residual warmth from his hands, a heat that seeped into my palm and sent a restless flutter straight to my chest. It felt like a tiny, persistent creature was skittering around inside my 

Chapter 219