Ara’s POV
Damon carried me back to the base camp, his emotions swirling around him like a storm I could feel in my bones.
As he gently placed me on the bed inside the tent, I reached for his hand.
“Are you okay?” I asked softly.
“Yeah… Vicky’s here. She’ll check on you,” he murmured, turning to leave.
“Wait, Damon…” I stopped him, clutching his arm. His stormy grey eyes met mine, and I saw the flicker of something raw beneath them.
“What is it? Are you in pain?” he asked, concerned, creasing his brow.
So this was the mate bond.
It had a strange way of silencing our own pain—of making us set aside our wounds just to tend to the other’s. It wrapped around our hearts like a silent promise, compelling us to protect, to care, to feel beyond ourselves.
And Damon…
He didn’t just say he
