Simon clenched his fists. He wanted to run to Melva, to take her away from the pain she had endured, but fear rooted him to the ground. Not fear of the matebond—fear of himself. Fear that if he embraced it, there would be no turning back.

Still, he couldn’t ignore the truth. If he kept resisting, if he kept trying to live between two worlds—his desire for Riela and the pull toward Melva—it wouldn’t just break him. It could destroy Melva too.

And deep down, Simon knew one thing with ...