Natalie POV
The heavy iron door of maximum security slammed shut, sealing Darren Clarke inside the damp darkness of his own ruin. The sound echoed down the corridor like a definitive gavel strike, closing the darkest chapter of my past.
Richard didn't let go of my hand as we walked away from the cells. His fingers remained tightly woven with mine, his stride slightly slower now, as if he were deliberately measuring his pace to match my own. The golden sparks from the blood-contract continued to pulse gently against my skin, a constant, low-voltage current that kept the lingering chill of the dungeons at bay.
"You didn't look away when I crushed his face, Natalie," Richard murmured, his silver eyes glancing down at me from the shadows of his heavy fur collar. "Most Omegas from the southe
