The conversation that ended everything they'd built together started over morning coffee, in the same kitchen where they'd shared countless peaceful breakfasts as husband and wife.
Seraphina had spent the night staring at the ceiling, wrestling with Morag's ultimatum while listening to Damon's steady breathing beside her. Every rational calculation led to the same conclusion: the world needed the eternal guardian more than she needed personal happiness. But rational calculations felt hollow when weighed against the warmth of his presence, the security of their mate bond, the simple joy of waking up beside someone who loved her completely.
"You're going to tell me what's really wrong," Damon said without looking up from his tablet, where intelligence reports painted an increasingly grim picture of gathering storms. "And don't say it's just the crisis. I can feel your distress through the mate bond. Something's eating you alive from the inside."
