Maybe they regretted something.
The thought slid in quietly and sat down like it had been invited.
I hated it immediately.
Maybe their first desire had been the real one. The chase, the bond, the heat, the marks. Maybe we had been swept up by danger and blood and whatever the Goddess had thrown at us, and now that everything was quiet enough to breathe, they could finally feel the weight of what they had chosen.
Of who they had chosen.
Me.
Maybe they felt trapped.
Maybe they were looking at me across Adeline’s kitchen table and realizing forever was a very long time to be stuck with someone who came with poisoned roses, family wars, a half-feral wolf, and absolutely no emotional stability around roasted potatoes.
The thought slid in quietly and sat down like it had been invited.
I
