The words still echoed in Nova’s mind.

  "I’ve never seen one burst into flames."

  Kael’s voice had been measured, unreadable, but something about the way he had looked at her lingered. It seemed like the words he wasn’t saying were more important than the ones he was. The phrase hung in her mind.

  Nova found herself admiring how beautiful his wolf was. His fur was a deep, smoky black, shadows rolling through the thick waves as he moved. He was easily twice the size of a normal wolf, if not bigger. He carried an air of lethality, his presence dominating.

  She wasn’t sure but she thought she could feel his emotions, and almost felt like she could see what he was thinking, but shrugged it off.

  The silence lingered, so she spoke up

  “Is that why you were following me?” she asked, pointedly.

  “That was part of it,” he admitted.

  Nova narrowed her eyes. Part of it?

  “And the other part?” she pressed.

  Kael was quiet. His gaze stayed ahead, focused on something unseen, but his entire body went tense. She felt the shift in the air.

  When he finally spoke, his voice was gentler than before. “I think you already know.”

  Nova’s stomach tightened, thinking about how he was constantly on her mind. She couldn’t get past his scent, his presence, his every movement. She felt an unnatural, overwhelming draw to him. He was in her head, and under her skin. Although she didn’t explicitly trust him yet, she felt like she could if she would just let herself. It terrified her a little thinking about it.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  Still, she forced herself to ask.

  “What am I supposed to know?”

  Kael’s steps slowed slightly, but he didn’t stop. “The mate bond,” he said simply.

  “And what exactly does that mean?” Nova asked.

  Kael shook his head slightly. “It means we are one, absolute, eternal.

  Nova swallowed, her throat dry.

  “And you didn’t want that,” she said, voice almost a whisper.

  Kael glanced at her, but his expression was unreadable. “No.”

  The air suddenly felt colder to Nova, and she felt her stomach drop. She didn’t know why, but hearing him say it hurt. She was used to being unwanted, so this shouldn’t be a big deal. However for the briefest bit of time she had allowed herself to be hopeful…how foolish.

  He must have seen something flicker across her face, because his voice lowered, and sounded almost regretful. “I fought it,” he admitted. His words were distant in her ears, detached, like he was still trying to separate himself from her. “But”, he continued, "I won't anymore. Rejecting you only hurts us both.”

  His words didn’t make her feel better. Nova turned away, staring out at the trees, trying to find something else to distract herself from the pain.

  Suddenly, something clicked in her mind. Kael had mentioned something earlier about Moonborne. She turned sharply toward him. “Earlier, when you were explaining what we are, you said something about two souls.”

  Kael’s brows furrowed slightly, but he nodded.

  “Our wolves are not just part of us,” he said. “They are their own beings. They think, they feel. They are us, and yet separate. When we became one, they took over, in the frenzy of the chase and the marking.”

  Nova felt a cold realization crawl up her spine.

  “Then where is mine?” she asked, voice barely above a whisper.

  She remembered, there had been something inside her stirring, and she remembered feeling that something had spoken to her, and urged her on, so why didn’t she feel anything now?

  Kael studied her, his golden eyes dark with thought, but before he could speak his head snapped up. The forest had grown silent around them. It wasn’t just quiet, it was unnaturally still. Kael stepped forward instinctively, his body moving to protect her.

  “Stay close,” he muttered.

  Nova’s skin prickled.

  Before she could process what was happening, Kael let out a snarl, his massive form jerking forward as a large, black-feathered arrow, buried itself deep in his shoulder.