Aurex couldn't answer. Couldn't breathe past the agony radiating through his leg that wasn't injured, through a bond that shouldn't exist.
All evening he'd felt her emotions. When Wish had been crying earlier, desperation so acute it made his hands shake had seized him.
The moment she'd tried to approach Hyrin in beast form, terror had gripped Aurex's chest violently.
Nyla had asked him a question about tracking and he'd snapped at her, unable to focus past the overwhelming helplessness crashing through him.
He'd felt her determination when she touched the beast. Her exhaustion. Her small moments of relief when Hyrin calmed.
And he'd been getting more irritated with each passing second, unable to understand why emotions that weren't his kept interrupting his thoughts, his focus, his entire being.
Why he couldn't concentrate on the hunt. Why Nyla's presence beside him felt wrong, like he should be somewhere else entirely.
