The images hit my vision like a territorial breach.
There were three, maybe four clear captures of Elliot and me locked in what the world would label intimacy. But in pack terms, it was worse—it looked like recognition. His mouth at my neck, my body leaning instinctively into his Alpha presence, my expression softened in a way I didn't even realize I was capable of showing in public space.
Another frame showed me caught in something like laughter, my guard completely lowered, while his dominance wrapped around me like an invisible claim. We weren't just close. We looked bound.
A couple.
Not by law. Not by intention.
By instinct.
My breath fractured.
Ah—
A soundless collapse formed inside me as I stared at the feed. The bond pressure I had been resisting since yesterday surged again, stronger this time, reacting violently to public exposure. Because once a connection is seen by the outside world, pack perception begins to shape reality.
