nore
n the lock. The
as t
the dark, waiting like
" I asked, my voice tight
th the weight of his Alpha presence, the
rs 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 on
d out loud. I had spent the hours after he left doing exactly what I always did-finishing
a word to an
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
e said. "My Luna. R
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
bmission, demanding that I be marked and reclaimed. He wanted to erase any tr
d my waist, and dragged me toward the bedroom. The wor
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.
e, leaving me a
e ghost of his touch still on my
not li
ess and these sudden, brutal visitations. Thr
he mirror. A woman with tired eyes, a swollen mout
fe. Hi
ecognize h
n front of that
he bathroom without turning on the lights, and lay down on the stif
not li
athetic" from the
e buzzed on the nigh
ht I am having. You have to get out
," I mumbled, m
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
illed with laughing people. I forced a smile and made
y in my hand, a flash of movement from the
s Ang
ian. She didn't look pale or weak at all. Her cheeks were flushed with a healthy,
words as clearly as if they
ce dripping with envy. "Getting into Alpha Dixon'
ed, a sweet, t
he pressed a hand to her forehead,
oice dropping to a softer, more fragile tone.
e crowd below and l
ent 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
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, unti
a hollow thing in a hollow room, and waited fo
. Even
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