NATHAN’S POV
The anger didn’t leave.
It didn’t fade with time, didn’t dull into something manageable. It stayed sharp, constant, sitting just beneath the surface no matter how still I forced myself to be. Every quiet moment, every second without distraction, it returned reminding me that she was gone. That Damon had her. That I had let it happen.
I stood at the edge of the clearing, my hands clenched at my sides, my gaze fixed on nothing in particular as the bond flickered faintly in my chest. It was weaker now, harder to read, distorted in a way that made it unreliable. But it was enough. Enough to know she was still there, Enough to know she wasn’t free.
My jaw tightened. If I let myself think about it too long about how she must feel, about what he might be doing I would lose contro
