Rika's Pov
Vera flinched violently. "It's a bond tonic. An alchemical compound, extremely rare, wildly expensive, highly illegal in every pack territory I know of. It connects you to a partner chemically, forces your body and your wolf to believe they're your true mate whether they are or not."
She paused, licked her bloody lips. "It mimics all the real symptoms—the pull, the need, the bond itself, the physical cravings. Your wolf won't know the difference between the tonic and a real mate bond.
You'll need them, crave them, feel incomplete and in pain without them. It's not real, but it doesn't matter. Your body will think it is, and you'll be bound to them until the tonic wears off."
"How long does it last?" I asked, my mind already racing through possibilities, through worst-case
