Ashton's POV 

I could already feel it, the warmth of the bond settling between us. She loved me. Not fully, not yet, but it was there, blooming with each breath we shared. Thank the Goddess we had marked each other already. Without that connection, I might have doubted whether she would accept me.

But I could feel her now. Her emotions poured through the bond, raw and honest. She was worried. Not about me, but about herself. She thought she wasn’t enough. Thought she didn’t ...