Kael attacked and the oath compelled my body to respond before my brain could scream no, and suddenly I was fighting my mate with temporal magic I couldn't control.
Time slowed around him. Not froze. Slowed. Every movement taking twice as long as it should.
He adapted—of course he did, he was Alpha King and adjusting to supernatural bullshit was his specialty—but the oath was pushing me to defend harder, faster, more lethally.
"Stop!" The word tore out of me but my body wouldn't listen. "Kael, please, I can't—"
He came at me again and the oath forced me to age him. Just five years. Just enough to slow him down further.
Through the bond I felt the damage. Felt his cells stressing. Felt the connection between us fracturing further under the strain.
"I'm sorry." I was crying now. "I'm sorry, I can't stop, the oath won't let me—"
"I know." His voice was rough. "It's okay. Keep fighting. I'm not stopping."
