Jaxon POV
Life had become a damn Russian roulette these past few weeks, each day spinning me into a new gamble I hadn’t seen coming. I’d thought Calista’s rejection was the worst blow I’d take—her choosing Darius, my own brother, over me, ripping out the mate bond I’d believed was unbreakable.
But that betrayal, as gut-wrenching as it was, had led me to Lyra. Lyra, with her fierce spirit and soft eyes, who’d turned my world upside down in ways I never could’ve predicted. I’d left her in the guest room, her small frame curled on the bed, her scent still lingering on my skin as I made my way to my study.
I needed space to think, to sort through the mess of emotions and plans piling up like unpaid bills. But the truth was, every step away from her felt like pulling against a tether, my w
