Apphia's pov
I'm stunned. I can't speak for a moment as emotions surge through me. I can feel Ziora with full strength. It's like she never left. However, what she said shocked me.
' Mate,' she says again. Nicholas crashes his lips on me excitedly, but I need a moment to process this information.
I push him away from me, and he retreats a step back. I'm unable to move, just staring at him. His gaze holds me captive. It can't be. He can't be my mate. I had a mate, and he rejected me. I accepted that. It can't happen to me again.
Shut up! I'm not your mate, Gavin's words replay in my mind, and I whimper. I shake my head no. I don't want to be hurt again. I feel my eyes burn with tears, and my body shivers.
Nicholas raises his thumb to wipe the tears from my cheeks, but I jerk away, sta
