Nineteen

Her departure had caused some confusion.

She had signed on to be there for most of the week, so her abrupt leave had caused some small issues with timetabling.

Conrad was just assuming it would probably take the two days in the capital to handle all of the problems associated with ending a mating.

It had been almost a month since she had last seen Atlas, and she wasn't looking forward to seeing him again.

At the mere thought of having to be in the same room with him, a knot built in her stomach, making her feel ready to throw up.

She pulls the car over to the side of the road, opening the window and inhaling deeply to try to calm herself down.

The mere thought of seeing him shouldn't upset her this much, but she knows nobody would criticise her for it.

The mate bond is different than others, and breaking one is agonising.

She's prepared for that pain, and she knows she can handle it; it's the possibility that they're going to be within a few feet of each other for more than a few minu