ADAM

I felt her before I ever stepped into the room. Before she herself crossed into the quarters.

The bond—if that was what this was—tightened like a living thing beneath my skin, undeniable. It had been there even when she was gone, faint but persistent, like a distant echo I could never fully silence.

Now, standing here, it was overwhelming.

I faced the wall, my back to the room, my palms braced against stone I barely registered. I had come here with purpose—had told myself I needed answers, needed to confront her privately, needed to look into her eyes and demand the truth.

I wished I hadn’t come. Especially when...