Aurora’s P.O.V

The moment he stepped into the school, I felt it—the air shifting, the once-lively bleachers now thick with an almost tangible tension. Conversations dropped into hushed whispers, students who had been laughing and chatting just moments ago suddenly quieted, their gazes drawn toward the entrance like moths to a flame.

I turned to Caroline, intending to ask her who he was, but the words never left my lips. She was frozen, her entire body rigid, her eyes locked ...