KIERAN’S POV
Time dragged; I had no idea how long. The rain still fell in steady patters against the window.
Steam curled off Sera’s skin, and her breaths came shallow, uneven. Every so often, she whimpered—soft, broken sounds—like she was fighting something in her dreams.
‘In cases like this…a mate bond would stabilize her.’
I swore softly, holding her tighter, her heat burning into me even as the cold around us stabbed like tiny needles.
Frustration made my teeth grind, even as they chattered.
If there was even a fragment of a bond between Sera and me, it had to respond. It just had to.
But…
So much time had passed, and still nothing happened.
No spark. No warmth. No familiar pull.
Each second carved a bigger hollow of dread inside me.
Had I imagined it all?
Had I convinced myself she was my mate just to justify wanting her?
Maybe she never belonged to me at all.
I pressed my forehead to her shoulder.
