Alina’s pulse still raced from the previous night, but now, entering the eastern tower chamber, she felt something sharper, darker stirring inside her. Riven’s presence filled the room before he even spoke—the golden heat that clung to him like a second skin, the commanding aura that made her heart hammer. His eyes tracked her like a predator circling prey, sharp, possessive, and utterly unrelenting.
“You’ve been avoiding me,” he said, voice low and rough, like gravel over silk. “But I can feel it. You’re mine, Alina. Don’t forget it.”
The words sent shivers down her spine. She tried to step back, but his hand closed around her wrist, firm, unyielding, anchoring her in place. The pulse of her mark beneath her skin flared at his touch, a lightning strike of awareness and desire.
“You don
