Rafael's Point of View
I turn my back on Octavia before I say something that will give me away. My smirk stays in place until I have put enough distance between us, but underneath, my chest feels tight.
Seeing her here, up close, after everything… I did not plan for that. I told myself I would just watch from a distance, keep my head down. But the moment she walked through those doors, I could not help it. I had to say something. Just once. Hear her voice when she spoke to me, even if it was only to tell me off.
She does not know. She cannot know.
I have mastered the art of masking my scent since I first shifted, blending my scent into something generic. Without it, she would have caught the truth instantly, the pull, the bond. And I am not ready for that. Not after she rejected me bef
