But I thought it’s just because he’s grumpy.
I never knew there was a reason this heavy sitting underneath it.
A mother who loved him by staying away. Years of watching her be sick, watching her keep distance to protect him, and growing up learning that love and closeness were somehow opposite things.
A painful heaviness settles in my chest. Is that why he built walls around himself?
And then another thought hits me, even worse: he can’t feel a mate bond. He’ll never have that certainty everyone else gets. Never feel that pull toward one person who’s made for him. Will he just… be alone forever?
The thought hurts in a way I can’t explain.
“Layla.” A snap of fingers in front of my face pulls me back.
I blink and find Eliot watching me, his brows drawn together in concern.
“You disa
