Theron doesn’t move. He stays perfectly still, letting me cling to him and bury my face in his chest. With my fingers still twisted in his fur, I sob—loud, ugly, broken sobs that I can’t control.
I don’t know how long I’ve been crying. Time feels meaningless in this moment, swallowed by the grief, the anger, the exhaustion that weighs down every part of me.
He still doesn’t move.
The warmth of his body seeps into mine, so unlike the cold dampness of the forest, and somehow, that makes me cry harder. It’s too much, everything is too much. I’ve lost everything, and now I’m here, clinging to a beast I injured, soaking his fur with my tears as if that’s somehow going to make any of this better.
I hate this. I hate how weak I feel. I hate how broken I am right now, standing here, vulnerable in front of him. I should be able to handle this, but I can’t. I can’t!
I’m so sorry, Mother. I’m not strong. I’m sorry I’m not the daughter you wanted me to be.
I push my face deeper into his chest, trying to hide the ugly sound of my sobs, trying to muffle the humiliating way I’m breaking apart. Only Mother ever saw my tears. It’s not fair.
I feel so small next to him. His body towers over mine, his presence so... overwhelming.
It’s infuriating. It’s confusing. And it makes me want to scream.
“Why?” The word rips from my throat, barely audible through my sobs. “Why are you just standing there?” My voice cracks, and I hate it. I hate how desperate I sound.
My legs threaten to give out beneath me, but before I can collapse, I feel him move. His massive, clawed hands sliding beneath me as if I weigh nothing.
And then, before I can protest, he lifts me.
I freeze, my breath catching in my throat as he cradles me against his broad chest. My feet dangle above the ground, and suddenly, I’m staring directly into his glowing hazel eyes, closeenough to make my heart race in ways that have nothing to do with fear.
I blink. Up close, he looks even more inhuman, and yet... not monstrous. The blue crystals on his forehead shine, casting reflections that dance across his fur. It’s mesmerizing, and my mind can’t make sense of any of it. Why did he pick me up?
All I can manage is to stare back at him, completely baffled.
“Put me down,” I whisper, though the words lack conviction. My voice sounds pathetic even to my own ears.
He doesn’t. He just holds me. His heart beats as fast as mine, but he stands still. Gaze calm. How can he be so composed while I’m falling apart in his arms?
“It’s so hard not to chase when the sweetest thing runs,” Theron whispers, his deep voice vibrating through his chest, so close to me now that I can feel every breath he takes.
I don’t know him. I can’t trust him.
“We are creatures of the chase, but it’s not fear I want you to run from. It’s the bond that pulls me to you, a force I’ve never felt in my life.”
I swallow hard, narrowing my eyes. “What are you talking about?” My voice trembles, but I force the words out. “You don’t know me.”
Theron’s eyes seem . . . sad.
Why does that sadden me? This is foolish.
“You’re right,” he says. “I don’t know you, but Iwantto. I want to understand everything about you.”
My hand tightens in his fur. “How can you talk about bonds and connections when I’ve lost everything? My mother is dead.”
I know he had nothing to do with it. I know he couldn’t know, but still.
Theron flinches at my words, his ears pulling back, but doesn’t let go. His grip is firm but not painful. He holds me as if afraid I’ll shatter in his arms. “I cannot take away your pain,” hesays, and the tenderness in his voice makes my heart ache, “but I can offer you a future where you are cherished and respected. I want to protect you, not because I think you need it, but because I want to.”
I shake my head, biting back the sob that rises in my throat. “I don’t need anyone. I don’t need you.”
The tears come despite my effort to stop them, and my chest feels like it’s about to cave in under it all. How much more can I take? How much more until I shatter?
Why am I fighting so much?
