KATHERINE
Stephen took a step closer, his height looming over me as the elders watched from their seats. He told me he wasn’t trying to own me, but that he was trying to help me survive being a noblewoman in a court that wanted to see me fail. I looked him dead in the eye and let out a short, sarcastic laugh. I asked him if that was what he considered me to be when he decided to force me to be his mate against my will. I reminded him that my survival hadn't been his priority when he destroyed my life, and I didn't need his help to navigate a world he threw me into.
We argued back and forth, with the kind of heat that usually ended in a shouting match, but we were interrupted. A guard hurried into the hall, his face pale and tight with urgency. He stepped up to Stephen and spoke in a voi
