Chapter 52 CRY WITHIN
Jake's POV:
Cleveland College didn’t pause just because my world had imploded.
It looked exactly the same as before—same buildings, same quiet corners, same indifferent sky.
Like fate hadn’t decided to tear me apart and stitch me back differently.
I walked through the college grounds campus on autopilot, backpack slung over one shoulder, head down.
Every step felt heavy, as if I were dragging chaos itself behind me. My mind wasn’t here—not really.
Beneath my sleeve, the mark pulsed faintly. Warm. Persistent. Unavoidable. Its presence had already started to feel… natural.
Belonging, even, like it had been waiting for me all along.
I hadn’t wanted to come back. Not today. Not yet. Not while confusion and rage clawed at my chest, threatening to spill over at the slightest provocation.
But Ryan’s text this morning left no room for hesitation:
Project submissions today. Don’t forget.
I had stared at the words for far too long. A few days ago, I’d ignored them. Ignored deadlines. Ignored life.
Because when your world feels on fire, grades might as well be invisible.
But life didn’t stop. Deadlines didn’t care about heartbreak, betrayal, or the mark seared into my skin.
So, I came back. Not because I wanted to be here. But because I had to survive. Because I had to prove, first to myself, that no one would see me break.
I hated this calculated version of myself. The version that measured every glance, every interaction, every breath just to avoid exploding. But I needed it. Needed it more than air.
The dorm was still far. Every step forward felt heavier than the last, like I was wading through quicksand.
The campus was quiet, almost unnervingly so. I avoided the security posts and chose the long, secluded path behind the college buildings.
Shadows swallowed the overgrown grass, giving me cover. Head down. Invisible.
Tomorrow, everyone would notice. Questions. Stares. Expectations. I didn’t have answers. Didn’t have excuses. Didn’t care if they believed them. I just had to be here.
And then my wolf stirred.
More like you’re prepping for a certain Clara Bennett.
The name hit me like a physical blow. My stomach twisted, chest tightening.
The memory of that night—the way I had grabbed her, the desperate, reckless anger, her terrified flight—flashed before me.
I silenced the wolf without a word. Just the thought of her was enough to throw me off balance. Enough to remind me that I still… cared. Still loved her, even if I didn’t know how much.
Even if I wasn’t sure I could handle going deeper.
I wasn’t ready to confront her. Not the real her. Not with those eyes, the judgment lurking beneath. Not with the chaos still raw inside me.
So, I made a decision. I would keep my distance. As much as it tore at me. As much as every instinct screamed to fix, to apologize, to beg forgiveness for the part of me that had lost control.
For now.
It was the only way I could think clearly. The only way to plan. And maybe - if I did it right - I could earn her forgiveness without exposing the storm still brewing inside me.
I had just walked past the construction building—a place every student whispered about but no one dared approach. Restricted. Dangerous.
Even the principal and grown adults avoided it. And yet, here I was, moving past it without a second thought. Funny, really.
Funny how I should feel fear standing near this place when everything else in my life had already fallen apart.
But I wasn’t scared. Not anymore.
Not with everything that had happened.
Not when my entire understanding of fate had been ripped apart and rewritten.
How could I even face anyone knowing the truth now? That I… I was bisexual. That I had this mark seared into me, that destiny itself had thrown a curveball I didn’t ask for.
Funny how the Moon Goddess—or whatever force this was—could decree that you were destined to spend eternity with your mate, and suddenly, everything changed.
I’d walked past the construction site when I caught it: faint noise. The low thrum of activity, like someone was working inside.
It shouldn’t have been happening this late. Everything about this place was supposed to be silent.
I froze, listening.
What was that?
The noises came again. Louder this time. Clangs and distant shouting that sent a chill crawling up my spine.
Who would be inside at this hour? And why?
My heart thumped in my chest, but not from fear—more from an instinctual pull I couldn’t ignore.
Then the door started banging. Hard. Heavy. Someone was trapped inside, trying to get out.
I ran to it, eyes scanning round the building. No one else was here. Just me.
And the sound—echoed again, loudly this time.
“Step back!” I yelled; fists braced against the heavy wooden door.
The banging didn’t stop. Whoever it was couldn’t get free. And the pounding of the door, the frantic energy, made the air feel heavier, charged.
Then, suddenly, the banging paused. I held my breath.
Seconds later, the door creaked. Then, as if pushed by sheer force, it burst open.
My eyes widened.
Cement was pouring from the center of the building, cascading in thick, gray waves, swirling around the corners, nearly filling the space.
The room was enormous, but completely chaotic—yet no one was in sight.
And then my gaze fell on the corner of the floor.
Something—or someone—lay there.
Lifeless.
I froze. My chest constricted. It wasn’t just an object… it was human. And I could recognize her anywhere, anytime.
Clara?
Silver-white hair catching what little light leaked in. Her features… unmistakable.
Without thinking, I sprinted over. My wolf surged inside me, alert and raw.
Everything else—the mark, the chaos in my life, the unbearable new reality—faded to nothing.
“Clara! Clara!” I shouted, my voice cracking as I reached her side.
She didn’t move. Didn’t respond.
Cement was slowly creeping closer, threatening to engulf her.
Panic flared hot in my chest. I didn’t hesitate. I dropped to my knees and scooped her into my arms, feeling her weight press against me.
My fingers dug into her as I carried her out of the building, away from the gray, choking mass that could have swallowed her whole.
Ohh moon goddess help her!