Nellie's POV
My heart pounded as I walked toward Ethan's truck, each step feeling like a betrayal of myself. The bond of mates roared in my chest, a fire pulling me toward him, but my mind screamed to flee, to run back to my parents' house, to Silver Creek, to Caleb. His discovery—that he was passing me off as an Alpha—had left me exposed, vulnerable, at his mercy. His eyes flashed with a triumph that terrified me, and Clarissa snarled in my mind, her primal instinct torn between the desire to submit to our mate and rage at his betrayal. Don't go, she whispered, but the bond was stronger, an invisible pull that made my feet move despite my will.
Ethan opened the passenger door for me, his hand brushing against my arm, sending waves of heat through my skin.
“Get in, Nell,” he said, his v
