Chapter 38

KNOX'S POV I remained on the bed where Aubrey had left me, her warmth still lingering on my skin. The ghost of her touch haunted me—the way she had trembled beneath my hands, how her body arched into mine despite her protests. The mate bond still hummed with echoes of her desire, making it impossible to ignore how close we had come to crossing that final line. "Go after her!" my wolf demanded, clawing at my control. "She's ours. She wants us. You felt it!" But I stayed still, forcing myself to breathe through the burning need to chase her down. Yes, I had felt her response—felt how her body welcomed my touch even as her mind fought against it. But I had also seen the terror in her eyes when she pushed me away, heard the panic in her voice as she fled. "She's scared," I reminded my wolf, though it pained us both to admit it. "Of us. Of this." "Then we show her she doesn't need to be," my wolf argued. "We prove—" "We prove nothing by forcing ourselves on her." The words came out sharper