Aakifahlynn went through the motions for a good fifteen minutes, and once it was all said and done, her mind, heart, body, and soul were freed from the shackles of the mate bond that kept her standing still for far too long and threatened to do the same this time.

She would not have it. She refused to feel this way for a man who treated her like her mate did. He killed her, and he did it in a sneaky way.

The after-effects left Aakifahlynn drowsy, her eyelids heavy. She struggled to keep them open, her blue iris disappearing as they rolled back occasionally, then focused again as she...