The Secret Trade

Celia's POV

"I have no mate."

The words ripped from my throat, sharp and uncompromising. I did not look at Kaelen as I said them, but I felt the immediate, suffocating weight of his silence. I stared straight ahead as Kaelen glowered into the distance, his jaw locked tight enough to crack bone.

Caleb Vance tilted his head. A slow, thoughtful hum vibrated in his chest. He shifted his focus ent