lla

quieter than a tomb and twice as cold. The walls were frosted glass, thi

ore manager said, his voice dripping with professional reverence. He wore wh

g water, nearly choked. She coughed, he

rom the manager to me. "Adella, why is my fathe

at stole the breath from my lungs-a massive, iridescent moonstone surrounded by a halo of

ate look at Azalea. "We were supposed to be looking for a birthday gift for him

ws twitched, but he was trained well enou

g mark on my neck. "A misunderstanding? That ring is worth more than the ent

er lie, the heavy glass doo

and burning rubber. It was the sm

ng. He looked manic, his hair disheveled, his

d his aura, a suffocating wave of dominance that was meant to crush me. "You think you can just w

hispered, shrinking bac

t, his fingers digging into my skin with bruising force. "You are coming home. You are a

abbing his arm. "You are in Blac

ent motion that sent the Alpha King's daugh

Braydon spat. "This is pack

in my chest. For years, I had let him define me. Wolfless. Weak. Property. But the

e. I was a woman who had sold her soul t

lling away.

ty," I said, my voice

sound. "You have nothing without

d in the eye. "I

wrist loosened just a fraction, shock replacing the anger on his face. In our world, mar

" he b

channeling every ounce of false confidence I could muster. "Which means if you touch me

ion was eating him alive. He took a step toward me, his ha

inished th

curity guards until they were there-massive, silent men in black suits with the Blackwood

he door, holding a phone. "You are trespassing. You have five seconds

realized he was outgunned. The power dynamic

but the look he gav

e who he is. I will find him. I will challenge him for you, and I will tear hi

, leaving a trail of toxi

legs turning to jelly. He was

going to challeng

reatened to kill the Lycan King. He didn't just sign hi