Page 152

Talia’s arms folded tighter. “That is not reassuring.”

“It was not meant to be. I am distinguishing the mechanisms.”

He looked at me. “Some Zunatorian males experience an early physiological recognition response around a potential mate.”

I shook my head. “No.”

Darev ignored me.

“Ŭre changes can be one sign,” he continued. “Heightened awareness. Protective response. Sensory focus. Unusual electrical reaction to touch.”

“I said no.”

“And I continue to hear you.”

Talia looked between us. “What exactly does ‘potential mate’ mean?”

Darev answered before I could. “It means biology may identify compatibility before either person chooses anything.”

Her face went cold. “No.”

I looked at her.

Not fear.

Anger.

That mattered.

Darev raised one hand. “Listen to the rest.”

“I’ve heard enough systems explain why my body apparently makes decisions for me.”

“This one does not.”

That stopped her.

Darev stepped away from the counter. “Recognition is not a bond.”

Talia did not move.

“It creates no ownership,” he continued. “No legal claim. No biological completion. Nothing is accepted unless both people choose it.”

Her gaze flicked toward me, then back.

Darev’s voice remained steady. “A male can recognize a potential mate and never bond with her.”

“By choice?”

“Yes.”

“Her choice too?”

“Especially hers.”

The tension in her shoulders eased by a fraction.

I noticed.