"The night our mate almost lost control?" she said softly.
I went still.
Before I could voice my surprise at her knowing, she added gently, "I'm you, remember? I know what you know, what you feel. What you're trying not to feel."
I sat in silence, my chest heavy with the memory of Aiden's claws on the mattress, his voice pleading with himself… or maybe with me.
"It wasn't your fault," Lyra said. "None of that was."
"It doesn't feel that way," I said. "I ran."
"You ran because you were scared. That doesn't make you weak. That makes you human. And now…" I felt her presence swell just slightly, a wave of strength rising in my chest. "Now, you're not just human anymore. That's not a loss. That's power."
"Doesn't feel like power. Feels like pressure."
"It's both," she admitted. "But we'll figure it out. Together."
I let out a shaky breath and slowly stood from the bench.
