“Little mate, where are you? I heard what happened. Are you alright?”
I jumped about a foot in the air with a scream that echoed off the stone walls, nearly stumbling over my own feet in shock.
Aurion grabbed my arm to steady me. “What happened?! Are you hurt?”
“I-” I pressed my hand to my head. “I just heard Mal’s voice. In my head. I’m losing it. I’m actually going insane.”
Aurion relaxed and started laughing, the sound coming out in genuine amusement. “Oh. No, that is normal. Well, normal for mates. It is the bond. You can communicate telepathically.”
“What?”
“The mate bond allows for mental communication. It requires effort and energy, but it is possible.” He looked amused by my shock. “Has he not explained this to you?”
“No! He definitely did not mention that I’d start hearing voices in my head!”
“Probably because you have been avoiding him for a week.” Aurion shrugged. “Try responding. Focus on the bond. On him. Picture pushing your words through that connection.”
I closed my eyes. Felt for the bond between us. That golden thread that had become as familiar as my own heartbeat. Imagined sending words along it.
“Training room. Three.”
The effort made my head pound. Like I’d just sprinted up a flight of stairs. But I felt the words leave me and travel through the bond to him.
A few minutes later, the door slammed open and Mal stormed in. His eyes found mine immediately. He crossed the room in long strides and pulled me into his arms.
“I heard what happened.” His voice was muffled against my hair. “I am sorry. She had no right to speak to you that way. I will handle it.”
“All you say lately is that you’re sorry.” I pulled back to look at him. “That’s not working so well for me.”
He winced. “I know. But I do not know what else to say. I am sorry for bringing you here. Sorry for this situation. Sorry that woman thinks she has any claim on me.”
“Maybe you should tell her that.”
“I cannot. Not yet. Not until-”
“Until you have proof against Andreas. Yeah. I know.” I sighed. “I’m tired, Mal. I’m so tired of pretending.”
Aurion cleared his throat. “I will give you two some privacy. Though I suggest you lock the door. Training rooms see a lot of traffic.” He headed for the exit and paused to look back at Mal. “Teach her properly. She has terrible form.”
The door closed behind him.
Mal looked down at me. His expression was torn between guilt and something that looked dangerously close to pride. “You threw water on her.”
“I did.”
“The entire castle is talking about it.”
“Good.”
His lips twitched. “Do you want me to teach you how to kick her ass, little mate? I would do it myself, but I know you want the honors.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes. Teach me. But if you mention being sorry one more time, I’m throwing water at you too.”
“Noted.”
We trained for the next hour. He showed me how to break holds, where to strike for maximum impact, how to use my size as an advantage rather than a weakness. His hands adjusted my stance, positioned my arms, corrected my footwork. It felt good to move, to channel my frustration into physical action instead of swallowing it down. And having him touch me, even just tocorrect my form, was a relief after a week of pretending we were strangers in public.
“Good,” he said after I successfully flipped him onto a mat. “Very good. Now do it again.”
