~Isabella’s POV

Elias’s words hit me like a blow. “What?” I said, my voice rising. “What do you mean I can’t be with him? He’s my mate! We’re bonded. I love him.”

Elias shook his head, his expression deeply troubled. “Child, there are things you do not yet know, truths about your lineage and his that make this union… forbidden.”

“Forbidden?” I echoed, the word burning like acid in my throat. “Why? What could possibly make our love forbidden?”

Elias's gaze never wavered from me, and I could see the sadness in his eyes, the weight of the burden he was about to lay on me. I swallowed hard, trying...