Nolan POV
I couldn’t get her out of my head.
Even after the music had faded and the ballroom returned to a blur of faces and clinking glasses, all I could feel was the press of her hand in mine, the heat of her gaze when she’d looked up at me. That dance had burned into my veins, sharper than any battle wound.
Ellie.
I told myself it was the mate bond clawing at me, a wolf’s instinct, nothing more. But the lie didn’t hold long.
Because when I closed my eyes, it wasn’t just her scent or her touch that haunted me—it was her laughter from years ago, her stubbornness, the way she used to look at me like I was more than the man my father said I’d never be.
The truth lodged itself in my chest like a blade. I had feelings for her. Maybe I’d always had them, buried under duty, anger, and th
