ADAM
Sage's absence sat in my chest like ice.
Even with the mate bond humming steadily between us—even with the steady, undeniable proof that she was alive, strong, unbroken—I couldn't shake the tension coiled in my spine.
She was still out there. Alone.
I could feel her through the bond: a fierce, focused presence, a mind burning with purpose. Every so often, a soft tug brushed against my awareness—a silent reassurance. Don't worry. I'm fine.
But I worried anyway. I always would.
I wanted to go after her. Wanted to abandon the council hall, shift, and run until the world blurred, until I found her. Wanted to stand at her side the way I should have from the beginning.
Instead, I stood in the council hall, surrounded by power that could shatter kingdoms.
Twenty Ancients filled the chamber, their presence bending the air around them. They were fewer than the vampires we'd faced—far fewer—but they had been enough to slaughter over sixty attackers in a single, brutal wave.
