LEILANI
I held it all in with bated breath—the scream that clawed at my throat for escape, the tears that were beginning to clog my vision, the painful sob threatening to rack my body—I held it all in as I waited for him to leave.
I could still feel his presence outside the bedroom door, the lingering sparks of his touch on my arm remained. I could hear his uneven breathing and confusion warred through the mate bond I had denied.
Everything in me ached to collapse at this moment, but I waited, holding myself together until I heard his retreating footsteps, until I could no longer feel his presence through the door. I waited until I was sure he couldn’t hear me before collapsing against the door and letting it all out.
The grief I had carried with me for almost eight years. The anger an
