Damon's POV
I didn't start the car after leaving the park. I remained behind the steering wheel, staring through the windshield.
The park was alive with laughter. Children chased each other, parents called after their pups, life carried on. Mine didn't.
I leaned my head against the seat and closed my eyes. Immediately, her face appeared. Not Aria's. Elona's. The way she'd looked at me before accepting the gift.
"Thank you, Mister." She had said.
A strange ache settled deep inside my chest.
She smells familiar. Rhein's voice was low and thoughtful.
I know. I clenched the steering wheel.
You felt it too? The moment we got close.
His growl rumbled through my mind.
There was... a pull. Not the mate bond. Not exactly. Something deeper, as if every protective instinct inside my wolf ha
