#Chapter 208 – Stay a Little Longer

Damon I should have left days ago. Every part of me knew it. A King doesn’t linger in strange villages, pretending to be a traveler, pretending not to recognize his mate. But every time I tried to go, something in me refused to move. So, I stayed. The villagers were simple, unbothered by my presence. They passed me in the square with polite nods, none the wiser that their quiet little world was being stalked by an Alpha predator. And Lila was there…always there. The first time I saw her again, I’d thought the world had stopped again. Now I realized it hadn’t stopped at all. It had simply learned to move around her without me. She stood in the morning light outside the apothecary, her sleeves rolled up despite the chill in the air, braiding bundles of herbs. Her hair was loose, the color deeper, and her skin glowed with warmth and health and the faintest shimmer when the light hit her just right. She looked… peaceful. Happy. Every motion she made was deliber