***Cassius***
I stopped trying on the second day.
It wasn't a dramatic decision, no grand moment of clarity or resolution. I simply woke up in the bed I shared with Aldrik, though "shared" was a generous term for the way we occupied opposite sides of the mattress like strangers, and realized I was exhausted.
Exhausted from hoping he'd look at me with something other than calculation, exhausted from the constant ache of the bond pulling me toward someone who didn't want to be pulled toward in return, exhausted from loving someone who saw me as a useful asset rather than a person.
So I stopped.
Not all at once. The bond wouldn't allow that, the mark on my neck throbbed with awareness every time Aldrik was near, my body responding to his presence with an eagerness that felt like betrayal. But I could control my words, my actions, my heart.
I could stop reaching out.
