Timothy's POV

The morning of my mating ceremony dawns cold and clear. I wake up on the couch in my apartment, still wearing yesterday's clothes, with a hangover that feels like divine punishment.

My phone shows three missed calls from my mother and a text from Ethan. "Church rehearsal in two hours. Don't be late."

I drag myself to the shower and stand under water hot enough to burn. It doesn't help. Nothing helps. Kael has retreated so far into my consciousness that I feel partially dead, like ...