Kael didn’t follow her.
That choice was deliberate, even as every instinct beneath his control urged him to close the distance she had created. Silver reacted immediately to her retreat, the pull of the bond settling low and steady beneath Kael’s composure. It wasn’t aggressive or demanding. It was simply there—persistent, undeniable, threading itself through his awareness with a familiarity that did not belong this early, not without acceptance, and not without acknowledgment from both sides.
The bond.
He didn’t need to question it.
He had felt it before.
But never like this.
Never this early.
Never this aware.
Aiden’s footsteps faded down the hallway, soft and controlled against the polished floorboards. She didn’t rush, didn’t hesitate, and didn’t give him anything to work with.
