The words hung in the air between Kaden and Ava for a heartbeat. Then their meaning registered, and Ava's face went white.
"What?" She whispered.
"I reject you, Ava Caine, as my mate," Kaden repeated, forcing each word out despite the way they felt like glass in his throat. "I sever the bond between us. I reject our connection."
The effect was immediate and catastrophic.
Ava cried out, her hands flying to her chest as if she had been struck. Her knees buckled and she fell, collapsing onto the filthy cobblestones.
Her face contorted with pain, tears streaming down her cheeks as she gasped for breath.
Kaden felt it too. The mate bond didn't break cleanly. It tore, ripping through his chest like a blade made of fire and ice.
His heart felt like it was being shredded, pulled apart pie
