“You could hold my hand, you know,” I say quietly, trailing alongside my mate as we make our way back to the palace. Yet again, he offers me his arm instead.

“I can’t,” he replies firmly, glancing down at me as if the idea were unimaginable.

A heavy sigh slips from my lips. His reactions confuse me, especially the way he’s handled everything since finding me and the incident with the wolfsbane scratch.

“We’ll head straight to the healer ...