Julian’s POV
"You are the only one worthy of it," Penelope said.
Her words sliced straight through the crowded ballroom, hitting me like a physical blow.
I stopped dead. My boots dug into the plush carpet.
She was talking to him. That pathetic Beta actor.
Inside my skull, Asher roared. My wolf clawed at the walls of my mind, his fury a heavy, suffocating weight that flooded my veins with pure adrenaline.
The heat of it burned through my chest, swallowing up every shred of logic I possessed.
I turned my back on them and walked away.
The air in the room felt thick, choked with the scents of expensive perfume, champagne, and sweat.
I forced my legs to move, steering away from the sound of her voice, but a sharp shout from the centre of the gallery caught my attention.
A crowd had fo
