Leo's POV
She pulled away from me, her movements slow and heavy. One by one, she began removing the pieces of the armor. I stood back, my eyes never leaving her, watching as the warrior shell fell away to reveal the woman underneath. When she was done, she sat on the edge of the large bed, looking small and fragile.
I knelt on the floor in front of her, resting my hands on her knees, just staring. I was trying to understand why the air felt so still. The mate bond was right there—I could feel the golden thread of it in my mind—but it was quiet. It wasn't humming with life like it used to. It felt like a phone line that had been cut.
I didn't want to pressure her. I didn't want to scare her away again. So, I took a shaky breath and asked the simplest thing I could. "How have you been, Scar?"
"I have been fine," she said softly.
