DEREK’S POV
I stood before the small tent. It was strange, being here like this. I entered.
The sound of her breathing was the only sound that filled the space. Maya lay on a cot. Her face was pale and her body was covered with bandages.
Even with the bandages, I could see the injuries on her body. My stomach twisted in disgust as I walked closer.
There was no denying it — Maya’s face showed she had been through a lot these past few days.
Yet, my mind kept returning to the same thought: She had been responsible for the deaths of countless civilians, the same people I had once sworn to protect. And yet, I couldn't shake the responsibility I still felt, because of the bond that tethered us. The mate bond that, no matter how twisted, still tied me to her.
I couldn’t just l
