Chapter 280

DEREK’S POV I hadn’t meant to let it happen. In the kitchen, when she stumbled in—hair mussed from sleep, cheeks flushed from embarrassment—it had taken everything in me not to reach out. And then I had. That single brush of my fingers against her skin still burned on my hands. My wolf had howled, triumphant, desperate to claim her right there. To close the distance. To press my lips against hers and make her mine in the way the bond demanded. But I pulled back. I had to. Because Aurelia isn’t just my mate. She’s Draven’s bride-to-be. The daughter of a former Alpha King. The girl already carrying the weight of every rumor, every cruel word ever spoken about her. If I gave in, even for a moment, I’d ruin her. So I avoided her the next day. I thought it was the smart choice. Distance, coldness—that was how I’d keep her safe. I told myself it was for her, that pushing her away would make her stronger. That my silence would shield her from the bond neither of us could afford to acknowledge