Chapter 9
Ron and I drifted through one stunning place after another. He was a surprisingly solid guide, and with him, everything felt easier–lighter.
We were heading to another destination when I spotted someone outside the airport -lone figure, ragged aura.
The second he saw me, his eyes flared red.
“Brielle… I’ve searched so long for you. I finally found you.”
His voice was wrecked, dry, heavy with exhaustion.
I froze. Took me a sec to place him.
“Caden? What the hell are you doing here?”
Seriously–how’d he even find me? I’d been bouncing from town to town, never staying long enough for a scent trail.
“Brielle… Brielle!”
He kept shouting like a broken record, red–eyed and wrecked, but I kept moving, suitcase dragging behind me.
Then—bam—he caught up, yanked my hand, and crushed me into a hug.
“Brielle, how could you be this cruel? You ghosted me. Vanished. When the mate bond snapped–I lost it. I was wrecked.”
His voice cracked. Arms locked around me like he thought he could glue me back into his life.
Too bad he was about a lifetime too late.
I shoved him off and slapped him. Hard.
“We broke the bond. You don’t get to chase me anymore. Stay gone.”
