_Leah’s POV_
We climbed the stairs back into the main halls of the Blood Moon pack house. My chest was tight and my legs felt heavy. I could still hear Selena’s mocking laugh in my head. Her words cut deep. I thought about Tariq, the sacrifice and how Kayden had rejected me. It was too much.
I walked in silence beside Kayden but my mind was screaming. My heart was torn between anger, confusion and something else I did not want to name.
Kayden finally broke the silence. “Leah,” he said softly. “You have nothing to fear. Tariq will not touch you. Not while you’re under my roof. Not while I’m alive.”
I froze and stared at him. His voice was so sure and so steady. Like stone.
But he didn’t understand.
“You don’t know him,” I whispered. “You don’t know what he is capable of.”
Kayden’s ja
