Kaian leaned back on the couch, the dim light of his chambers casting long shadows on the walls. His elbows rested on his knees, his hands rubbing his face as he tried to shake off the weight that had settled on his chest after seeing Anya again. The image of her standing there in the garden, her presence as radiant and ethereal as ever, lingered in his mind. But his heart clenched painfully at the sight of the mate mark on her neck.
That mark, a symbol of the bond she shared with Axel, was a glaring reminder of his failure. He had lost her, and it was no one’s fault but his own.
Kaian let out a long, unsteady breath, his fingers massaging the spot over his heart where the familiar ache seemed to intensify. It wasn’t the first time he’d felt this pain, but somehow, today, it felt sharper
