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Idon’t fall back to sleep until the early hours of the morning after Caelan leaves.

Not just because I can’t stop replaying our interaction in my head. I also keep analyzing my own reactions to the mysterious male.

Never in a thousand years did I imagine sharing my first kiss with a male who broke into my house and is actively working to bring down my father.

And I don’t regret it at all.

I run the pads of my fingertips over my lips, like I have been all morning. They still feel swollen. Selfishly, I hope they never go back to normal.

The feeling of his lips on mine was perfect. No matter how often I’ve fantasized about it, or how many books I’ve read, nothing could ever compare to the feel of his body against mine, his hands on my face, his breath against my lips.

I’ll never have another kiss like that kiss.

Now I can feel a new warmth in my chest. It’s not the same as the flame, but it’s close, nestled right next to it.

I’ve spent my entire life reading and asking questions, knowing it’s the only way for me to learn. I know Mate Bonds manifest as threads that range in color based on the Bond and the species.

But there’s no thread in my chest.

Just a swirling pool of silver, reaching for Caelan.

The more I replay how every touch made me feel safe and protected, the larger the pool grows.

I don’t know what it is, but I know it’s important. It feels… beautifully alive in a way I’ve never felt from anything else before.

Logically, I know my reaction last night wasn’t normal. Waking up to an Alpha—a vampire, no less—hovering over me in bed in the middle of the night should have terrified me.

I hadn’t been afraid at all.

When I opened my eyes, I felt the same sense of protection I felt a few nights ago. It surrounded me, wrapping me in warmth and safety.

I’ve always wanted to know what it would be like to meet a compatible Alpha. Not a man like my father—someone who taunts you with the promise of love just to yank it away when you inevitably can’t measure up.

My mother promised me when I was a little girl that a pack of my own would come for me. She promised they’d love me. Keep me safe, and give me a happy life.

Even before we knew I was an Omega, she told me stories about a love so strong, so unbreakable, that nothing could stop it. Nothing could temper it.

And Fates, I want that. My entire life, I’ve prayed for it. For Alphas who love me, a nest, a pack—a family. For soft touches that don’t leave bruises, and soft words that don’t scar.

And for a few moments last night, the fantasy had been a reality.

Somehow, though, I don’t think I’d have the same reaction to another Alpha as I did with Caelan.

Being near him was intense. All-consuming.

It’s not even his good looks—though I’d have to be blind not to notice how beautiful he is.

It was impossible to ignore the way the soft light played off his sharp cheekbones, or the little furrow between his brows as he studied me like he was actually trying to understand me.

His muscular body, shorn haircut, and stoic expression should give him a menacing vibe, but they don’t.

Not to me.

Instead of being afraid, I leaned into him. He clearly had no reservations about touching me, either. I can still feel his calloused fingers running over my lower lip.

The second his skin met mine, something lit up inside my chest. A whirlpool of silver sprang to life and started spinning in my sternum. I could feel it filling up—filling me up—as though it was rewriting my DNA.

For one breathless moment, as that empty well inside me filled, there was no fear. No anger or heartache. No hunger or pain.