Chapter 102

Ciara's POV I had just come down after my release when I heard the low growl. I had grown so used to the security of my home that I let my guard down. But I realized quickly, this wasn’t Wade. The emotions rolling off him were impossible to ignore: anger, frustration, desire. He didn’t try to hide any of it. Instead, he pushed it all toward me, making sure I felt every raw edge of what he was holding inside. Wade wasn’t like Jace. It wasn’t just the rejection, it was everything that had happened since. Losing my daughter for over twenty years had carved new levels of pain into me. And hearing Timber say he wanted me to bear his children... that had hit me hard. Against my better judgment, I looked into his mind. The moment I did, I felt it, he truly cared. He believed I was his mate, and that belief came with a depth of feeling I couldn’t deny. I got the answers I needed when I saw his tears. My mate was crying. I had caused that. I had hurt him, and it cut me deeply. But I also saw ev