Chapter 19

• Seylan slowly exhaled, trying to rein in his temper. The discussion had quickly become tense, and Aria’s exit did little to dissipate the charged air. If anything, the absence of her irreverent energy made the room feel heavier.
• Luna Celeste was the first to speak into that silence. “Seylan, sweetheart… no one here wants to hurt you, or Nova,” she added gently. “We’re trying to find a solution. Your father is thinking of the pack and of you. The elder is thinking of our laws and history.” She stepped closer to Seylan’s end of the table, her eyes pleading for calm. “Please, help us understand what you’re feeling. What do you want to do?”
• All the frustration, fear, and confusion Seylan had been holding in churned in his chest. “What do I want?” he raked a hand through his hair. “I want Nova. I want my mate.” His admission hung in the air, raw and earnest. He looked at each of them in turn. “I won’t pretend otherwise. Every instinct in me is screaming to lay bond with her, to protect her, to love her.” His throat bobbed with emotion on that last phrase. “But I’m terrified! If I accept her and something goes wrong; if I hurt her or if the bond is too much for her.” He closed his eyes briefly, the thought of Nova in pain because of him was almost too much to bear. “And if I reject her…” His voice cracked. “Rejecting a mate can damn the soul. It can possibly destroy her, and me.”