MATED TO THREE, DESPISED BY ALL.
And then he leaned down and pressed his mouth to hers.
The water passed from his mouth into hers.
The intimacy of it struck like a blade.
It wasn’t just a kiss.
My chest tightened violently, a sharp, searing pain radiating from deep within me. The mate bond reacted instantly, viciously, as if it had been struck. I felt it like a physical wound, jealousy, betrayal, humiliation, all blending into one unbearable ache.
They were still kissing.
Not soft. Not innocent.
Deep.
Claiming.
The sound of it, the faint movement, the closeness, made my stomach twist. My heart pounded so hard it hurt. I could barely breathe.