#Chapter 122 – Internal Storm

Damon The frost on my window caught the morning light, spidering silver veins across the glass. I stood motionless in front of it, hands clasped tight behind my back, watching the courtyard below like a man waiting for battle—or for something worse. My gaze locked onto her before I even knew I was looking. Lila wasn’t doing anything remarkable. Just walking. Head down, coat tugged tight against the chill, the sharp wind tugging loose strands of her hair free from her braid. But the moment I saw her, something inside me coiled and pulled tight; a tether catching tension. The bond. I feel it now more than ever. Not a whisper. Not a suggestion. A truth. Every part of me knows it. I’ve stopped asking questions. She’s mine. My jaw tightened. My breath fogged the glass. I should turn away. I tell myself that every morning. Every time I catch myself watching her, tracking her presence as I would when I map enemy movements. Except she isn’t an enemy. She’s gravity. Unrelen