Raya took a long breath, steadying herself, willing her voice to remain calm and collected as she faced Kaius. She had known this moment was coming, had prepared for it, had rehearsed exactly what she would say and how she would say it, but now that she was standing in front of him, his gaze fixed on her with an intensity that made her pulse quicken, she realized that nothing could have truly prepared her for this.
“When I arrived at this boot camp,” she began, her voice even but firm, “the last thing I was expecting was to find my fated mate.”
Kaius said nothing, but she could see the way his muscles tensed, the way his jaw clenched as he forced himself to listen, to not interrupt. His self-control was impressive, but she could feel the barely restrained energy radiating from him, his w
