The village square was quieter than usual, the noon sun filtering through the narrow streets, casting dappled patterns across cobblestones. Yet every footstep, every murmur of a passerby made Elara’s pulse hammer. She knew he was near before she even saw him—the bond thrummed beneath her skin like a living thing, insistent, alive, impossible to ignore.And there he was, emerging from the shadow of a merchant’s awning, eyes glittering with mischief and command. His gaze swept over her, slow ...