The bond yanked at her chest like a fishhook embedded in her heart, sharp and painful and impossible to ignore. Her wolf whined softly inside her consciousness, torn between the instinct to run toward their destined mate and the bitter knowledge of his rejection. Every cell in her body called out for him despite her mind's desperate resistance.
Caleb followed her gaze, his jaw tightening when he registered the intensity of Darius's stare.
The temperature at their table seemed to drop several degrees as Alpha dominance pressed against them from across the room.
"Don't let him ruin this moment." His voice carried an edge of protective anger that surprised her. "You deserve to eat in peace."
"I'm not letting him ruin anything."
The lie tasted bitter on her tongue, though her racing pulse
