Celeste’s POV, a few days after Eldar’s rejection:
I don’t know how I got home. Ever since Eldar rejected me, my eyes have only seen darkness. My vision didn’t clear before I wept in Bjørnar’s arms. Since accepting the mate bond needs to be mutual, I knew a rejection could happen, but it hurt more than I expected.
‘I reject such a bond exists’ plays over and over in my mind.
It’s almost as bad as when they killed Jade, if not worse. It makes little sense. When acceptance is enough to dampen the need to mark each other, why doesn’t the rejection sever the bond between us without this pain? It’s like Eldar has ripped my heart out and replaced it with a slowly leaking container of acid. My being will melt away to nothing when the container is empty. The only things left of me will be my ch
