_Lyla's POV_
The world felt like it was collapsing around me. My breath came in short, uneven gasps, and no matter how much I tried to steady myself, the weight of the truth pressed down on me like an unrelenting force.
Aaron had lied.
Everything—the mate bond, his love, his promises—had all been a deception. A carefully crafted illusion meant to trap me, to bind me to him in a way that was never real.
I felt sick.
My stomach twisted violently, and I pressed a hand against my lips, afraid I might actually throw up right here, right now.
Astra’s voice slashed through my thoughts, her anger burning as hot as a raging fire.
We were fools.
I clenched my jaw.
I know.
No, you don’t! Astra snarled, her fury unlike anything I had ever felt from her. We trusted him! We let him touch us, m
