Gunnar’s POV

The moment the word left his mouth, everything inside me reacted at once, but I forced myself to stay where I was instead of charging at him, because something about this entire situation felt wrong in a way I couldn’t ignore, and reacting without thinking would only make it worse.

Mate.

The word echoed in my head again, but I pushed it aside and focused on what actually mattered right now.

Riley.

My eyes moved past Emberkin immediately, locking onto her again, and the longer I looked at her, the more it confirmed what I had already started to suspect the moment she walked in with him.

Something...