-ALEXANDER-
"Love you?" Lilian's voice, raw with contempt, sliced through the air. "Love you?" How could I possibly love you, Alexander? You are a monster!"
The words hit me like a physical blow. *Monster*. The epithet, spat with such venom, detonated something primal within me. My control, already hanging by a thread, snapped completely. The very idea of her, bound to me, my fated mate, expressing such hatred, was an unbearable affront. It made me almost run mad.
A feral roar tore from my throat, raw and unrestrained. I lunged, my hand shooting out, clamping around her delicate neck. My fingers tightened, squeezing, pressing, cutting off her breath. Her eyes, wide with terror and defiance, bulged slightly. Her small hands instinctively flew up, clawing at my wrist, uselessly trying to
