Ruby
The weight of Manson’s confession still clung to the air between us.
I had never imagined the Alpha King, my mate, carried such pain.
But now, as I sat there in the Moonfire Springs, his golden eyes locked onto mine, his touch lingering on my skin, I realized something.
He had saved me.
Not just from the poison. Not just from the physical pain.
But from something far deeper.
He had saved me from myself.
And that terrified me.
I had spent years convincing myself I didn’t need a mate. That I could survive without one.
But now?
Now I wasn’t so sure.
Manson’s hands slid down my arms, his touch slow, hesitant as if he was afraid to let go.
"You're shivering," he murmured.
I hadn’t even noticed.
His warmth surrounded me, but the realization of what had just happened, what he
