The rest of the morning passed in a strange, uneasy quiet.I stayed in the dining hall long after Hunter left, staring at the half-eaten food on my plate and trying to make sense of everything that had just happened. The bond still hummed in my chest, but it felt… different now. Less like a storm and more like a steady, unrelenting tide. I could feel him somewhere in the mansion, restless and pacing, the same way I had the night before. The connection between us had changed. Not softer—never softer—but more honest. Raw. Exposed.Adrian didn’t return.I was grateful for that.I wasn’t ready to face whatever game he was playing, whatever warning he thought he was giving. The way he’d looked at me—like I was both a curiosity and a threat—made my skin crawl. And the way he’d spoken about Hunter, about what the bond might do to me… it had planted a seed of doubt I couldn’t shake.*He’s not wrong,* Raven said quietly.“I know.”*But he’s not right either.*I sighed, pushing my chair back an
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