His hand was still on my cheek.
Warm. Careful. Hesitant.
Like he was touching something fragile that might shatter if he pressed too hard.
The bond pulsed wildly, heat rushing through my veins, drowning logic and pride and every wall I had tried to build. My wolf surged forward with a broken whimper, clinging to the closeness like a starving creature finally offered food.
Mate.
My breath came out uneven. "You're confusing me."
His thumb brushed slowly beneath my eye, wiping away a tear that refused to stop falling.
"I'm confusing myself," he admitted.
The confession shattered what little distance remained between us.
My heart thudded painfully in my chest as his gaze dropped to my lips. The air grew heavy, thick with something dangerous and inevitable.
I knew this moment.
I had dreamed of this moment.
I had begged the moon for this moment.
But it felt wrong now. Too late. Too cruel.
"You rejected me," I whispered again, as if repeating the truth would protect me from the way my body leaned toward him despite everything.
"I know."
The words sounded like regret.
The bond tightened, pulling us closer like invisible gravity.
"You're leaving tomorrow," he said softly.
"Yes."
The room fell silent.
His breath brushed my lips, warm and unsteady. My heart pounded so loudly I was certain he could hear it.
"Then this is the last night I get to be selfish," he murmured.
My pulse stumbled.
"What does that mean?"
His answer never came in words.
His hand slid from my cheek to the back of my neck, fingers threading gently into my hair as he pulled me closer. My breath caught sharply, every nerve in my body lighting up at the touch.
I should stop him.
I should push him away.
I should remember the humiliation, the rejection, the pain.
But the bond roared louder than reason.
His forehead rested against mine, his voice barely a whisper. "Just once… let me pretend I didn't lose you."
My heart broke completely.
And then his lips touched mine.
Soft. Careful. Hesitant.
Like he was afraid I might disappear if he kissed me too hard.
The bond exploded.
Heat rushed through me like wildfire, dizzying and overwhelming. My fingers clutched the front of his shirt without permission, pulling him closer as the kiss deepened, slow and desperate and filled with everything we had never been allowed to feel.
This wasn't gentle affection.
This was longing.
Regret.
Pain.
Love that had nowhere safe to exist.
His arms wrapped around me, holding me like he had every right to, like he had never rejected me, like this was exactly where we were meant to be.
My heart shattered even as it soared.
Because I knew the truth.
This kiss wasn't a beginning.
It was a goodbye.