Page 24 of Heart of the Rebel Mate

To the way my pulse betrayed me when he looked at me like that—like he saw through every wall I'd built.

I turn away from the railing, shoving a hand through my hair. I need a distraction. Work. Research. Something.

But before I can take another step, a sharp knock echoes through my apartment.

My breath catches.

I don't need to ask who it is.

I already know.

The door swings open, and he'sright there.

Adrian.

For fuck's sake! Can't he leave me alone?

The dim hallway light catches in his silver eyes, shadowing the sharp planes of his face, his jaw locked tight, tension radiating off him in thick, invisible waves.

I grip the edge of the doorframe, breath locking in my throat because seeing him like this—raw, frayed at the edges like he's barely holding something back—does something to me.

And Ihate it.

The bond pulses between us, unseen butfelt, wrapping around my ribs, pullingtight.

My stomach clenches, and my heart betrays me with a sharp, stuttering beat.

For a second, neither of us moves.

Neither of us speaks.

We're standing too close, the small space between us heavy with heat and tension and something I refuse to name.

My throat dries and my fingers tighten around the door. "For fuck's sake," I breathe, dragging myself back into my body,awayfrom whatever this is. "Can't you justleave me alone?"

His nostrils flare slightly, his jaw tightening even more, but he doesn't step back.

I shake my head, exhaling sharply. "I'm tired, Adrian. Tired of hearing you rant about Cassian, the Council,all of it." My voice wavers slightly, but I don't stop. "Just for once, I don't want to talk about them. I don't want tothinkabout them."

Something flickers in his gaze—something unreadable, something dangerous.

His shoulders rise with a slow inhale, controlled, measured. His fists clench at his sides, his chest rising and falling a little too fast.

And then?—

His eyes darken. His lips part, breath coming faster now, like something inside him is slipping.

"Elara," he says, his voice strained, almost rough. "The bond—" He grits his teeth, dragging in a sharp inhale like it physicallyhurtsto say it. "It'sdriving me insane."

Heat licks up my spine.

"I can't take it anymore," he continues, his voice hoarse, uneven. "I can't take you walking away. I can't take youleaving."

Before I can react, before I can even register the shift?—

He moves.Fast.

One second, we're apart. The next, his hands are on me—rough, desperate, claiming.His fingers dig into my waist, pressing me back as his lipscrashagainst mine.

---