Elena’s POV

It was a collision, heat against the cold wall I’d built around my heart since I returned.

My mind screamed to shove him off, but my body… my body betrayed me. The bond roared to life, flooding my veins with warmth that wasn’t welcome, a pull that felt like drowning and breathing at once.

My hands trembled against his chest. I wanted to strike him, to end this, to stop feeling, but the bond was a chain tightening around my heart, whispering lies of belonging.

It hurt.

The ...