THALIA’S POV
“You belong to me, Thalia,”
Immediately those words left Ragnar's lips, my mind spun. They didn’t fade after he said them. They stayed, pressing into my chest loudly in a way I didn't understand.
For a moment, I just looked at him, my mind refusing to settle on one thought long enough to make sense of anything.
The memories of last night came back too quickly—Caleb’s hand at my waist, the warmth of his mouth, the way I had leaned into it before I snapped out of it like I had crossed a line I didn’t understand.
I had told myself it was the ritual, that it had to be the ritual, because the alternative made no sense.
And now Ragnar stood in front of me with my name carved into his skin like it had always belonged there.
The first thought that came to me was to run—to ab
