ng between the two guards who hauled him forward without ceremony. His dark suit

breath

xchanged glances, some craning their necks for a better view, others murmuring

t? Someone who had made the mi

ag the unconscious man toward the exit. Just before they reached the door, one of them

e prickled up her

ain. Desperate, Nina stretched to her full height, straining for a glimpse-just

that

side the ballroom resumed as if nothing had happened. As if a man

t did

trance was supposed to go. This was supposed to be flawless, seamless-a perfectly orchestrated moment of power and poise. I

rt? No one had ev

't looking at her. The whispers had already moved on, eyes drifting back to their conversations, their drinks, their

have calmed h

ike a weight she couldn't shake. You were supposed to be read

ything for it. And now, standing here, the reality of it all

The first step toward securing a life she never dared

straightened her spine, a

e had been given clear instructions-stop at the third wing of the spiral staircase, the spot

she

min

T

iv

me unspoken power play? Or was this simply how Adelaide Whitlock made an entran

case, it was

too shallow. The weight of unseen eyes pressed again

she feared-truly feared-she mi

mong a small circle of guests, his expression neutral, his posture relaxed. He wasn't smiling-Mr. Whitlock rarely did-but the easy way he

perfectly-moving seamlessly from guest to guest, speaking just enough to make them feel important, all while keeping an iron grip on the

nterested in eithe

across the room, sea

xe

boyfriend of

ld probably sketch him from memory. The sharp angle of his jaw. The dimples that appeared-brief

d the sea of guests, he

sy weight settle

make her more n

de and forced herself to ke

ted toward each other in quiet discussion. A little farther away stood Sean, Adelaide's co

ave to guess w

ir past didn't matter. Their strained relationship didn't matter. What mattered w

ot

it away and let he

ore unsettling it became. B

ore her in the flesh, eerily familiar. The weight of that realization pressed against her ch

ner of the room, her

t A

fam

d seen him before-one of the countless faces in the photos she had me

asn't

rs stood

ther wolf, according to her brie

oth

s back tur

stomach

he way his shoulders squared. The wa

bout him fel

osture-it was enough to set off every alarm in her head. If he was with Lily, she could al

ho had known Adelaide their entire lives, people who could dismantle her with a single

st expected

dn't play Adelaide

the trio when the first young man turned-s

reath

rowd without much interest. But the moment his gaze l

his stare. It was as if he could see right through the layers of foundation, the ele

hen he

ke they shared som

t...

wasn't

n warned-they were cold, calculating, always watching fo

But before she could stop herself, her gaze flickered back to him-

when she

nding with the

lse stu

as mo

t moving

d the

ard