The room felt suffocating, tension coiling between us like a serpent ready to strike. Erik's eyes bore into me as he stood by the window, his frustration and hurt flowing off of him in waves. I gulped, summoning the courage to ask the questions I needed to understand.
“What does that mean?”
He hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Rejecting a mated bond... it is an emotional rollercoaster, a crash which has lasting effects on both mates."
My brows furrowed. "Effects? What kind of effects?"
“It's like tearing a piece of your soul away.” Erik's gaze dropped to the floor for a moment before he met my eyes again. "When a bond is rejected, the rejected mate experiences an overwhelming sense of loss and emptiness. It is deep and awfully consuming."
I blinked rapidly. “You mean the rejec
