-LILIAN-
The accusation hung in the air, cold and sharp. Avery's triumphant glare, the grim faces of the Elders—they demanded an answer. The bond thrummed with a frantic pulse, a desperate, silent plea from Alexander. They wanted me to reject him. To break the bond. To leave.
My breath caught in my throat. Every instinct screamed at me to run, to find a way out of this impossible situation. But as I looked at the grim, unyielding faces of the Elders, as I felt Avery's venomous hatred, a different emotion rose up. It wasn't fear. It was defiance. It was a fierce, protective fire that burned for the man who was no longer a monster, but a man who had confessed his love for me, a man I had risked my own life to save.
"No," I said, my voice quiet, but firm. The word hung in the air, shocking
