na Beau

the frantic beat of my own heart. It was h

et away, his ice-gray eyes scrutinizing me, trying t

mance of my life. My revenge, my future,

ing my face in my knees. My shoulders

s raw, silent despair was

he air was thick with unspoken tension. I

sound, but in the stillness of the room, i

startled rabbit, my eyes wide with feig

strange emotion flickered across his face

pped a step away, his voice softer tha

o his, my voice a broken rasp. "

l. But that was the point. A traumatiz

I did nothing to you. You

ow... I remember having a drink at the feast... then I

issa chose to drug me instead of being a proper bride

ing my story to the scene with the Queen

lse... guilt. He probably thought his powerful Alpha presence ha

the neckline of my gown and pulled out

low, my eyes filled with a dead, empty calm. "A daug

eated cultural belief in our family's ho

a fact every wolf knows. But the gesture, the willingness to die, was everything. In our world, for a noblewoman

he inhuman speed of his Lycan blood, closing the

he force of his grip was immense, and I cried out in ge

loor, trapping me between

from mine, his eyes burning with a furious, wil

lse. Panic. A "helpless Omega" attempting to kill herself in his presence

ting a single, perfect tear roll down my temple. "

ter despair, shatte

evaporate, replaced by a h

he didn't let go. His hold became less of a

y face. He clearly wasn't used to comforting an

a command, but his voice was raw, hoarse

ised. I

performative "relief," while my mind was cold