I knew the instant Taylor broke down when my chest caved, like I was breathing through cotton wool. Pushing down my bond with him made little difference and only added to my pain. But it meant he would barely feel anything from me and I needed it to stay that way, so he wouldn’t sense the turmoil raging within me. As long as I still felt our bond intact, I knew he was alive and as long as I didn’t go within a mile of him, he would remain as such. How much time we had… I didn’t know… ‘You didn’t have to be so cruel…’ Hawk whispered from his dark corner of my mind. He had retreated the instant our father’s voice forced its way inside my mind, severing his link with Taylor’s wolf, Talon. He knew if we let our mate in, even once, our will would evaporate and we would go to him, sealing his

