The sound of the shattering porcelain seemed to freeze the very air in the room. Scalding tea pooled across the dark hardwood, creeping toward the hem of my robe, but I couldn't move. My eyes were locked onto Valerie, who sat ensconced in the center of Draven’s bed, looking perfectly content, completely unbothered, and entirely bare beneath the fur blankets.
"Aurora," Draven breathed. The name left his throat like a choked plea.
He took a step toward me, his hands raised, his bare chest heaving as if he were suffocating. The absolute terror in his golden eyes was a stark contrast to the dominant Alpha who had commanded the entire parlor the night before. "Aurora, listen to me. This isn't... I don't know how she—"
"Oh, please, Draven," Valerie interrupted smoothly, stretching her bare ar
