KARIN
The true mating bond felt like learning how to see color after a lifetime of gray. Everything sharpened. Feelings deepened. Sensations carried weight. Even thoughts moved with more clarity.
I could feel Rowan’s protective anger burning inside my mind, steady and bright. But under it, there was something else. Control. Intention. He wanted justice for Isolde’s betrayal, not blood.
“The council is ready,” Jonah Hale said from the doorway of our rooms. “Isolde Marrick is being brought to the High Conclave under guard.”
I pushed myself upright, slow and careful, paying attention to how my body answered. The bond had flooded me with Rowan’s Alpha essence. It burned through the poison Isolde had given me and left strength behind. Not sharp or wild. Solid. Familiar. For the first time
