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The entire tribunal froze, his words hanging in the air like a blade ready to drop. My eyes nearly fell out of my sockets; I was almost too stunned to speak.
âAlmost.
â"What do you mean by that?" I growled, rising to face the old mortal. "We say we don't want this, and you speak of completing the mate bond?"
âHe looked upon me with an expression that resembled pity. "I don't understandâ"
âBut it did nothing but stoke the flames of my frustration to a roar. "Then explain to me before I remind you of your place."
âEverything had fallen apart in a blink. The bottomless void in my chest had grown wider, deeper, hungrier. I was crumbling in the aftermath. Nothing made sense anymore. Nothing had gone as planned. On my way to acquire what I wanted, I had only lost another piece of me.
âI was scarred. Tainted by mortal suffering. Disfigured by a concept I'd never wanted any part of. I was losing yet another thing I could never get back: my perfection and untouched skin.
