Sumaya blinked at him, her lips parting as if to speak, but for a long moment, no words came out. The word "mate" echoed in her mind like a foreign language she couldn't quite grasp.
Then, without warning, a sharp laugh broke free from her chest, slicing through the strange stillness of the world around them. The sound was too loud, too forced, as if it could drown out the whirlwind inside her.
"Mate?" she repeated, breathless and incredulous, pressing a hand against her chest like she could hold her racing heart in place. "Okay... wow. That's definitely a new one."
She shifted back slightly, unconsciously putting distance between them as her wide eyes scanned the surreal landscape—trees that shimmered like silver, a sky painted in endless dusk, and a strange glow that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere all at once. None of this makes sense, she thought wildly.
