Elsa
A lump formed in my throat, and I had to bite back the tears that threatened to spill over. Despite everything he’d done, everything he’d been a part of, I could see it now—the fear, the despair. He was a man who’d lost everything, who’d been manipulated into becoming a pawn in a game far bigger than himself.
“Can’t we protect him?” I asked Adam quietly through our mind link, my gaze lingering on Uldrich’s battered form. The question slipped out before I could think it through, and I felt Adam’s shock ripple through the bond.
“Hell no!” he shot back instantly, his voice a growl that resonated inside my mind. The intensity of his response made me flinch, but I held his gaze, refusing to back down.
“Adam, it’s the least you can do for this man,” I pressed, my tone softer but unyiel
