Jaelyn's POV
My body turned to stone.
Every muscle locked in place as the air rushed from my lungs. My heart hammered against my ribs like a caged animal desperate to break free. The words hung in the air between us, heavy and undeniable.
"You two are mates?" The question escaped my lips again, even though the truth was written across their guilty faces.
Silence stretched like a taut wire ready to snap. Then, almost in unison, they nodded.
Jayden's gaze dropped to the floor while Jasmine turned her face away, unable to meet my eyes. That simple gesture confirmed what my heart already knew. The fragile peace I'd been clinging to crumbled like ancient parchment.
Every instinct screamed at me to rage, to demand answers, to shake them both until they explained how they could hide something so sacred, so fundamental to who they were. But the words stuck in my throat, trapped behind a wall of shock and betrayal.
