Suddenly, Elias’s words from before made so much more sense. Why he kept telling me he wouldn’t rush me, why he always said he’d wait for me to be ready. It was never about hesitation—it was about respect for what this bond truly was.
I’d noticed marks on people’s necks around here, but I’d never asked what they were. Now I understood—they were the physical sign of being marked by their mate.
It was all a bit overwhelming, even a little frightening. And it forced me to recognize how naïve I still was about a lot of things.
I started making myself something to eat when my phone began ringing on the counter. I reached over and answered it.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Lyra. It’s me,” Elias’s familiar voice said through the speaker.
“Hey. How’s everything going?” I asked.
“Pretty well. We’re almost
