Thor

nce wasn't over yet. I couldn't just get up and walk away. That wo

sound that was half-sob, half-gasp of gratitude. "Thank you, Alpha," I whimpered,

supposed aftershocks of my emotional breakdown. Once I was on my feet, I didn't look at Ryker. I didn't look at anyone. My entir

began to mutter, just loud enough for those nearby to hear. "It's

ing to a box of her father's remains. It was a far less threatening role than

his eyes had deepened. I had ruined his perfect day, sullied his

ung faces a mixture of fear and confusion. "Mommy," Zane

tighten. This was an unseemly display for the

o were hovering nearby. "What are you waiting for? E

oal to remove me from the public eye as quickly as possible. I allowed myself to go limp, letting them half-drag,

et the mask slip. I let her see the arctic, bottomless chasm of cold that had opened up inside me. I saw her flinch, a tiny, involuntary shudder

wd and toward the grand staircase. I cou

ever did get over

t. Another man would ha

ndescension wash over me, feeling nothi

hrough the hall, forcibly cheerful, desperately trying to reclaim control. "A s

a flimsy bandage

the brokenness-it all evaporated like mist. My back hit the heavy wood of the door, and a violent tremor wracked my bod

my daughter. The tears that came now were not for show. They were silent, hot, and full of a hatred so pot

no longer a howl of pain, but a low, predatory snarl. *He,

artbreaking caress. My eyes, when I lifted them, were no l

t sanctuary of my room. "Rest now, my sweet girl. I promise you