The Beast's Defiant Mate

ma

lt it pressing on my skin, a hundred pairs of eyes disse

wine, and the underlying, heavy musk of werewolf pheromone

ng houses presented tokens of their affection to their chosen mates. It was meant to

it was an ex

e crystal was cold, a small, sharp anchor in t

ion of my own stoic face. I was Gemma of House Leon, a

ctories was built upon my tactical mind. We had grown up together, our lives intertwin

ng public humiliation a

nd my chair, her voice tight with worry. "Ar

had brought back a prisoner from the northern rebellions, a feral, untamed girl, and paraded her through our camp. When I questioned his judgment, he had exploded. His mother, Isolde, had whispered poison in

the stone floor. The sound echoed, silencing the w

, the colors of a conqueror. A collective inhale swept through the hall. He was brutally

sweeping the crowd before landing on me. It wasn't the look o

acred promise, a token of the highest honor my house can bestow." He paused, his eyes gleaming with a dangerous, arrogant light. "Whoever wishes t

ure of utter submission, reserved for conquered enemies, not future Luna queens. The implication was clear: whoever took the flower wou

g where they rested on the back of my chair. "If another woman takes it, she'l

lvet cushion. On it rested a single, perfec

emed to tremble in his grip, a frag

this flower, a symbol of honor and my sacr

urned. The a

My gown, the deep green of the Leon house, felt like armo

there. Only a cold, hard command. He was so sure of his victory. He believed t

rmur only I could hear. "Prove your obedie

hear, he commanded, "Gemma,

le

of the Vorrath exchanged glances, their faces a mixture of shock and cruel

m for a second. To kneel was to surrender. It was a publi

er, Isolde Beaumont, shot me a look as

a far corner, I saw her. Corliss Schneider.

s a splash o

ain was grounding. I lifted my ch

d passed.

icked up my crystal wine glass from the nearby table, and took a slow, deliberate

n. The knuckles of the hand h

ice laced with a fury he was

meant to force my compliance. My knees trembled, a primal instinct to subm

tional tone that defied his Dominion. "With your status and striking presence, the

cted him, yet frustrated by my refusal to submit. He believed I was jus

a flicker of movement f

ird daughter of a lesse

from her seat. She moved with a preda

t a moment's hesitation, sank to

erfect mask of reverence and longing, she spoke

se Kensington is willing

upted in a

to stunned disbelief. He

then back at the frozen Archon. A t