Ariella’s POV
He didn’t try to stop me, and for that alone I was grateful. Because if he had…if he had said my name, or taken one step closer…I wasn’t entirely sure my resolve wouldn’t crack right there in front of him.
I didn’t want him to see that.
I didn't want him to see the tiny fracture forming in the wall I’d forced myself to build all those years.
So I kept moving, slipping away with my head down as I hurried toward the servants’ corner.
I had barely taken a few steps when a low growl tore from him.
The sound wasn’t loud, but it carried…deep and rough, vibrating through the air like a warning. It rolled over my skin and sank straight into my bones.
I shivered.
Not from cold, but from the way it echoed through me, settling low in my chest and curling along my spine as if my
