7. Rowan
I knew the exact moment everything stopped being deniable.
Not at the ball.
Not even the first time our wrists lit up.
That, I could've called shock. A mistake. Some weird coincidence I didn't understand.
But this?
This wasn't a mistake.
This was me catching him.
It happened too fast for thinking.
One second I was watching him, yeah, watching, whatever, and the next the other guard stepped wrong, or maybe Caelum shifted too quickly, I don't know. All I saw was him losing balance.
And my body moved.
No hesitation.
No thought.
Just instinct.
I crossed the space before I even realised I was moving, hand shooting out, arm wrapping around his waist to steady him before he could hit the ground.
And then,
Everything slowed down.
He fit against me too easily.
Like I'd done it before.
Like I should've done it before.
My other hand came up to his shoulder, steadying him fully, pulling him upright, keeping him close because that's what you do when someone's falling.
That's all it was.
That's all it should've been.
But then,
Heat.
Sharp.
Immediate.
My breath caught.
His body went still in my arms.
And I knew.
Before I even looked.
Before I even saw it.
I knew.
"No..." I muttered under my breath.
I looked down.
And there it was.
Pink.
Bright.
Clear as day.
Wrapped around my wrist like it belonged there.
Like it had always been there.
His too.
Glowing just as strong.
Fated.
The word hit me like a punch to the chest.
Not again.
Not like this.
Not when I....
My grip tightened for half a second too long.
Because for that same half second,
I didn't want to let go.
And that?
That scared the hell out of me.
"Rowan-"
The way he said my name snapped me out of it.
I dropped him instantly.
Stepped back like I'd just touched fire.
"No," I said quickly, shaking my head.
"No, no, no... "
I dragged a hand through my hair, pacing once because standing still felt impossible.
"This is messed up."
That was the only way to describe it.
Not confusing.
Not surprising.
Messed up.
Wrong.
Because now I couldn't pretend anymore.
Now I knew.
I walked away from him after that.
Fast.
Before he could say anything else.
Before I could feel anything else.
Before my brain could catch up to what my body had already done.
I didn't stop until I hit the balcony.
Cold air.
Space.
Distance.
I gripped the railing hard, breathing uneven.
My wrist still felt hot.
Like the glow hadn't really gone away.
Like it was just hiding.
Waiting.
"Damn it," I muttered.
I pressed my forehead against my arm, squeezing my eyes shut.
Fated mates.
There was no other explanation now.
Twice.
Two separate moments.
Same reaction.
Same result.
That wasn't coincidence.
That was real.
And I didn't want it to be.
"I'm not gay," I said under my breath.
The words came out automatically.
Like a reflex.
Like if I said it enough, I could undo everything that just happened.
But it didn't work.
Because my body remembered.
Because I remembered.
The way he felt when I caught him.
Solid.
Warm.
Real.
The way he didn't pull away immediately.
The way I didn't let go immediately.
My stomach twisted.
"Disgusting," I muttered.
Not at him.
At myself.
Because that moment,
That split second where I didn't want to let go,
That wasn't supposed to happen.
That wasn't me.
That couldn't be me.
"Rowan."
I froze.
Of course he followed me.
Of course he didn't just leave it alone.
I exhaled slowly before turning around.
"What?" I snapped.
He stood a few steps away, posture straight like always, but there was something off.
Subtle.
Barely noticeable.
But I saw it.
Because I was looking for it.
Because I needed him to not be okay either.
His gaze flicked to my wrist.
Then back up.
Same as before.
Same awareness.I just turned and walked away.
Because staying felt dangerous.
Because every second near him made it harder to lie.
Harder to ignore.
Harder to pretend that catching him hadn't changed everything.
"I'm not gay," I muttered under my breath one more time.
But now...
Now it didn't sound like truth.
It sounded like something I was trying desperately to hold onto.
Because everything else was slipping.