Finally, he mutters, “You need food.”
It’s such a jarring shift I blink.“Food?”
“Yeah.”He’s already moving toward the stove, grabbing a cast-iron pot, tossing wood into the firebox.“You’re weak.You need something in your stomach.”
I almost laugh.We’ve just torn into each other with words sharp enough to draw blood, and now he’s talking about cooking.This man is going to give me whiplash.
But as the scent of venison and herbs fill the cabin, something in me softens.He moves with quiet efficiency, every motion controlled, his broad back turned to me like the argument didn’t just strip us bare.
He ladles stew into a bowl and brings it to me, setting it on the little table by the bed.“Eat.”
His tone is gruff, almost rude.But when my hands tremble lifting the spoon, he notices.He kneels beside me, steadying the bowl, his big, scarred hand brushing mine.
The bond hums, sharp and sweet, making me flush.
I eat in silence, every bite grounding me, every accidental graze of his fingers setting me on fire.He doesn’t look at me, and he doesn’t speak, but his presence fills the room so completely it’s hard to breathe.
When the bowl is empty, he takes it from me, rising without a word.I watch his shoulders tense as he sets it down, like even this simple act costs him something.The fight is over, but the tension isn’t.It simmers between us, hot and dangerous, waiting for the next spark.
And I know with a sinking, terrifying certainty, this is only the beginning.
Chapter Six
The Weight of Fate
Altero
I can’t stop hearing her voice.Stop deciding for me.
It cuts deeper than claws ever could.Deeper than Maddox’s fists, deeper than my father’s silence and disapproval when I walked away.Deeper than any wound I have ever had.
She doesn’t know it, but she’s right.I am deciding for her.Every second I’m here, every time I pull back when all I want is to give in, I’m choosing for her.
I tell myself it’s because she’s fragile.Because she needs to heal.Because if I touch her, I’ll lose control.But the truth?The truth is much simpler and uglier than that.
I’m terrified.Of her.Of the bond.Of what it means to want something so badly when I already know what it feels like to lose everything.
