Isolde's Ambush and The Blocked Bond

**Thalia**

I stared dreamily out the passenger window, watching the blur of towering pines and rustic pack houses slip past the glass. Rylan kept his right hand wrapped firmly around mine, his thumb tracing slow, hypnotic circles over my skin. I could feel his deep contentment radiating through our newly formed mate bond. Warm, steady pulses of his overwhelming love washed over my mind, anchoring