'How could she ever leave me for him? For them?'

And then the ache becomes too much, too heavy for me to carry alone. My chest contracts painfully, my lungs burn with every ragged breath, and my soul reaches out instinctively, desperately.

Alexander. I need him. The bond between us flares hot and urgent, and before I can even call his name fully in my mind, he is there.

The door opens with a sharp creak. His scent wraps around me like warm fur on a ...