Chapter 5: The Poisoned Well

The air crackled with the aftermath of my outburst. My words—“Don’t you dare make me feel this”—hung between us, a toxic cloud. Lycan stared at me, the hurt in his silver eyes slowly hardening into a mask of stoic resignation. He gave a curt, almost imperceptible nod, as if accepting the new rules of our engagement. The brief window of vulnerability had slammed shut. He shifted his stance, no longer the pleading mate, but the Lycan Prince, a predator honed by a lifetime of combat....