nore
n the lock. The
an was
the dark, waiting like
" I asked, my voice tight
h the weight of his Alpha presence, the sc
ers are already asking questions about my conduct-about whether I'm fit to lead when I can't even keep my own house in order." His eyes narrowed o
out loud. I had spent the hours after he left doing exactly what I always did-finishing my
a word to anyo
d came up to brace beside my head. "I know how this works. The Elders have never liked how much power my father
his eyes without flinching,
s their price for a supply contract they couldn't survive without.
was a transaction. I was a commodity. But I was also his mate, bound by a bo
my jaw, tilting my face up. His
he said. "My Luna.
mouth was
at. He didn't answer with words. He a
his teeth grazing my bottom lip, demanding entry. I struggled, my hands pushing against his un
mission, demanding that I be marked and reclaimed. He wanted to erase any trac
my waist, and dragged me toward the bedroom. The world
by nothing but raw, possessive instinct. There was no tendern
ne, replaced by the familiar, chilling cold. He stood and straightened
e," he said, his voice flat.
, leaving me alo
ghost of his touch still on my sk
hese sudden, brutal visitations. Three ye
he mirror. A woman with tired eyes, a swollen mout
fe. Hi
ecognize h
n front of that
bathroom without turning on the lights, and lay down on the stiff desi
e buzzed on the nigh
ht I am having. You have to get out
," I mumbled,
The Onyx Den. Twenty minutes. Don'
iving me the chanc
of him, was even more unbearable. Moving like an automaton, I dragged myself into the bathroom. The
dress. The highes
down
and dim, forgiving light. The thumping bass of the music was a welcome
lled with laughing people. I forced a smile and made my
in my hand, a flash of movement from the VI
s Ang
an. She didn't look pale or weak at all. Her cheeks were flushed with a healthy, s
words as clearly as if they
ice dripping with envy. "Getting into Alpha Dixon
d, a sweet, tri
he pressed a hand to her forehead,
voice dropping to a softer, more fragile tone
crowd below and lan
nt victim snapped perfectly back into place. She gave me a small,
pport, she began her slow, "feeble" desc
cold in my hand. The ice cubes clinked togethe
ut another drink, about not letting him win-but her voice sounded like it was coming from underwater.
aks. I didn't turn on the radio. I didn't think about anything. My hands gripped the steerin
him-pine and storm and something darker underneath. I didn't change. I didn't shower. I just ki
the same position I'd held on this bed a hundred nights before. The ceiling above me was dark and featureless. I stared at it until my eyes burned, until
a hollow thing in a hollow room, and waited fo
. Even
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