Lyra's POV
"What the hell are you doing?"
I turned my gaze away immediately, my heart slamming so violently against my ribs that I could hear it echoing in my ears. My breath came uneven, shallow, like my lungs had forgotten how to work properly. What the hell was happening to me?
He lowered his head slightly, shoulders tense, a low sound rumbling from his chest. "f**k…" The word slipped out like a curse he hadn't meant to say aloud.
When he lifted his head again, his jaw was tight, his eyes darker than before. He stepped back, deliberately, putting distance between us like it physically cost him to do so.
"Best believe, Lyra. If I had a mate like you, I would have died before I let her leave my side, not to talk of letting another man have her."
His words replayed in m
