"Why are you doing this?" she whispered fiercely as they danced, her voice barely audible over the music. "Why can’t you just leave me alone?"
Rowan’s gaze never wavered, his eyes boring into hers with an intensity that made her skin prickle. “You know why, Amara,” he replied, his voice soft but carrying a weight that made her chest tighten. “You might think you hate me, and maybe you do, but you also know that you belong to me.”
Amara’s heart thudded painfully in her chest, anger and fear mixing with something far more dangerous. She tried to pull away from him, but Rowan held her fast, his grip like iron.
“Let me go,” she hissed, her voice trembling with the effort to keep her emotions in check.
But Rowan didn’t relent. Instead, he leaned in closer, his lips brushing against her ear
