IRENEI met his eyes. "Sure that I can trust you. Sure that this…." I gestured between us "...is real, and not just the bond forcing us together."Ashford nodded slowly, his jaw tight. "I understand. Take all the time you need. I'll be here."I walked out of the library, my heart pounding.I had almost told him. I had almost told him everything, about the stripping, about Lyra, about the year I spent rebuilding myself from nothing. I had almost laid my soul bare and trusted him with the pieces.But I was not ready. Not yet.Maybe not ever.That night, I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, and felt Ashford's presence like a shadow at the edge of my awareness.He was outside. Prowling, as he did every night. I could feel his restlessness through the bond, the way his wolf paced and growled, desperate to be near me, to touch me, to claim me.He never came inside. Never knocked on my door or tried to push past my boundaries. He simply walked the perimeter of my quarters, his footsteps sof
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