She tilted her head, watching Ted's stunned reaction.
"Your impulse toward Chloe is purely defensive," the Witch continued. "It is a sacred, spiritual compulsion to preserve the divine bloodline. It was never meant to be s****l. It was never meant to be romantic. You feel no mate heat because her spirit is your charge, not your mate."
The heavy, suffocating fog that had hung over us since escaping the rogue camp shattered in an instant.
I looked at Ted, watching the realization hit him.
His broad chest heaved as he let out a long, shuddering breath. The dark, agonizing confusion that had carved deep lines into his face over the last few weeks melted away, replaced by an absolute, crystal-clear clarity.
He wasn't a traitor to his own heart. He hadn't thrown away his vows to Jill for a
