The moment Elias vanished, the air in the clearing thickened with tension. My hands trembled, celestial power still crackling around me like a storm waiting to break. The mate bond between Ronan and me pulsed fiercely—an undeniable force neither of us could ignore, yet neither of us wanted to acknowledge.
Ronan took a step forward, his golden eyes burning with a mix of regret and desperation. "Selene—"
"Don’t," I snapped, cutting him off. My voice was sharp, but my heart thundered in my chest. The bond between us was alive, relentless, pulling me toward him like gravity. But I wouldn’t give in. Not after everything. Not after he’d called me a monster. Not after he told me to leave and never come back. I still couldn’t understand why the Moon Goddess chose him of all people to be my mate.
