I didn’t notice I was shaking until I reached the hospital.
Not visibly.
Not enough for anyone else to see.
But beneath my skin—
everything felt unsteady.
The bond.
The word repeated endlessly in my mind like an echo I couldn’t silence.
Permanent.
No breaking it.
No escaping it.
No surviving halfway inside it.
I pushed through the hospital doors, forcing my breathing steady as familiar sterile air wrapped around me.
Clean.
Controlled.
Human.
I needed that right now.
Because nothing about Kael felt controllable.
And the worst part?
A terrifying piece of me didn’t want him to be.
“You’re late.”
I looked up sharply.
Doctor Hale stood near the nurses’ station, arms crossed loosely.
Relief flickered across his face so quickly he probably didn’t realize I caught it.
“Sorry
