Chapter 4: A Bond She Refuses
"Don't," she rasped, trying to sit up, wincing.
Justin immediately steadied her, his touch gentle—too gentle for a man capable of the power radiating off him.
"I won't hurt you," he said softly.
She froze.
The words sounded real.
That was the problem.
Tears burned her eyes.
"They all say that."
Something inside Justin cracked.
He pulled his hand back like he'd been burned.
"I'm not—"
"You're an Alpha," she interrupted, voice trembling but sharp. "That's all I need to know."
The bond pulsed painfully between them, begging for closeness, for connection.
She turned away from it.
From him.
From hope.
And for the first time in his life, Justin Crimean didn't know how to fix something.