Bailey's POV
“No, Bailey.”
“That’s the third time you’ve said that, Rider,” I said, my voice steady even though everything inside me was shaking, “and I’m done pretending it means anything.”
“You are not going in there,” Rider replied, his tone controlled but strained, like he was holding a door shut with his body, “Lancaster is still considered property until the council decides otherwise, and I am not risking you walking into something you can’t undo.”
I stared at him for a second, then nodded slowly, like I was agreeing, like I was backing down, and then I walked straight past him toward the holding corridor without another word.
“Bailey,” he snapped, and his hand closed around my wrist, firm and fast, and the contact made my skin prickle, my wolf lifting her head instantly.
I tu
