Rhea’s POV.

He let go too quickly. I felt it in the way his arms stiffened before he pulled back. Like he wanted me and hated himself for it. My heart was racing and I hoped he couldn’t hear it.

The bond was there, humming beneath my skin like a second heartbeat. As he stepped away, I could see the pain in his eyes, I wanted to tell him it was okay. That I felt the way he did but the words refused to form, stayed stuck in my throat.

So I had decided to walk away, like a coward.

I ...