Throughout his entire life, Elliot had never been looked at like this—like something already cut out of someone's future. I could feel it in the air between us, the way his Alpha instincts sharpened, pressing forward against mine even though I was clearly stepping back. The bond that had once felt warm now reacted like a wounded creature, restless and confused.
A heaviness built in my chest, sharp and unbearable, and before I could reconsider, the words came out.
"Let's not meet again, Elliot. From now on… let's be strangers."
The word strangers didn't just land—it shattered something invisible between us.
His aura flared instantly, raw dominance rising like a reflex. "Strangers?" he repeated, voice low and strained, like he couldn't accept what he had just heard. "Why should we be strangers? I want you as my mate. I want to give you and Jared a complete pack family."
