Nellie’s POV
The scent of pine lingered in Moon’s Fang’s packhouse, a constant reminder of my place in this gilded cage of marble and gold. My footsteps echoed down the halls, each heavier than the last, while the silver chain around my neck burned into my skin, choking Clarisa as she clawed from the depths of my mind.
I hated Ethan. I hated him with every fiber of my being—for what he had done to me in that bathroom, for his betrayal, for his control. Yet the mate bond pulsed in my chest, a treacherous fire that made me want him, imagine his hands on me, his body claiming me. The way he had dealt with those who mocked me had thrilled me… but then he used that moment to take whatever he wanted. And he could keep doing it, whenever he pleased, while I stood powerless, shackled. I had to f
