Kalilah POV

It was crazy to think how strong our bond was getting.

I felt him before he even stepped into a room now. Like a pull in my chest. Steady. Sure. Unmistakable.

It didn’t make any sense how quickly it had deepened—how safe I felt with him, how easy it was to lean into something I spent so long resisting. But maybe that was the nature of real bonds. They didn’t follow rules or timelines. They just… were.

Sometimes he wouldn’t even say a word. Just brush his hand against mine or sit beside me quietly, and I’d feel more seen than I ever had before.

He didn’t treat...