Kody’s lips parted, but no words came out. His expression flickered between shock, pain, and something else—something deeper.
His hands slowly tightened around mine again, as if he was grounding himself, as if he was afraid to let go.
I could feel the faint tremble in his fingers, the unspoken emotions he was struggling to hold back.
Then, suddenly, he let out a bitter chuckle.
It wasn’t amused.
It was… wounded.
“You think I love you just because of the mate bond?” he asked, his voice low, almost disbelieving.
I swallowed hard but didn’t answer.
“You think that if it weren’t for this bond, I wouldn’t have fallen for you?”
The way he said it—like the very idea of it was absurd—made my chest tighten.
I turned my gaze away, trying to steel myself, but he wasn’t having it.
“Look at
