“Why did you run?” Artemis demanded, her voice sharp inside Diana’s mind, edged with hurt and disbelief.
Diana’s footsteps slowed, then stopped altogether. The forest around her was silent again, as if the land itself was holding its breath. She pressed a trembling hand against her chest, trying to calm the frantic pounding of her heart.
“He is our mate,” Artemis continued, softer now but no less insistent. “I want to meet him.”
Diana swallowed hard. “Artemis… you said he wanted to mate with me. With us. We don’t know who he is.” Her voice cracked as panic bled into every word. “And—and if we did mate… I wouldn’t know what to do. I’m not ready. I’m full of rogue blood. Why would he even want to mate now?”
Her hands clenched into fists at her sides, nails biting into her palms. Every ol
