Chapter 13

• “You don’t have to do this,” Lowan’s voice was thick, almost pleading. I couldn’t bring myself to meet his eyes, the weight of his gaze too intense, too suffocating. He took a step toward me, his hand reaching out as if he could fix this, but I took a quick step back, my heart pounding in my chest.
• “No.” I shook my head, my voice low but firm. “I don’t want this. I don’t want any of this.”
• His hand dropped, his face pinched with frustration. Finn and Caden stood behind him, silent, their expressions unreadable but heavy with the burden of the situation. They had said it themselves—the bond—this pull, this unexplainable thing that I had no control over, and yet, here I was, suffocating under the weight of it.