EMILIA’S POV

His throat worked as he swallowed hard. The air between us thickened, almost impossible to breathe through. My pulse wouldn’t slow down, and I could hear the faint sound of it rushing in my ears as Damien’s lips parted.

“Emilia…” he whispered again, voice breaking a little. “I don’t think we’re really mates.”

For a second, I thought I didn’t hear him right.

My breath hitched. “What?”

He didn’t look at me. His gaze fell to the blanket, jaw clenching like he was holding back something sharp.

“I don’t know how to explain it,” he said quietly. “But the day I saw you… I felt something. It was...