The moment the penthouse door closed behind Caleb in the morning, the silence became unbearable.
Iva remained standing in the middle of the bed for several seconds, staring at the door as if it might suddenly open again.
But it didn’t.
The soft click of the lock still echoed faintly in her mind.
Slowly, the warmth that had filled the apartment during the night seemed to disappear, replaced by something hollow and cold.
A strange ache spread through her chest.
Not physical.
Something deeper.
It felt like someone had taken a piece of her and walked away with it.
She wrapped her arms around herself unconsciously.
“What is happening, Avalon?” she whispered weakly in her mind.
Her wolf answered almost immediately.
“It’s the mate bond.”
Iva frowned faintly, lowering herself slowly o
