Kaelen’s POV
The coffee in my front cup had gone completely cold, but I didn't have the energy to signal the kitchen staff for a replacement. I sat at the head of the long breakfast table, my fingers pressing hard against my temples as I tried to blink the heavy fog out of my sight. My eyes were completely bloodshot, burning from another long night of zero sleep.
It was her fault. All night long, behind my left ear, my crescent birthmark had been humming with a steady, electric current of energy. It wasn't the frantic adrenaline from her horse chase or the sharp sting of her cut arm; it was a deep, freezing wave of lethal satisfaction. Through our locked mate bond, Elara was broadcasting her triumph directly into my chest, a quiet, smug rhythm that kept my inner wolf pacing the floorboar
