"Who hurt you like this?"
When I woke, a man was sitting beside the bed.
His voice was low, as if he was afraid of disturbing the broken bond still bleeding inside me.
I shot upright. Deep inside me, my white wolf bared her teeth on instinct.
The man didn't come closer.
He only set the glass of water in his hand on the nightstand.
He said, "You're safe now."
I stared at him, asking, "Who are you?"
He looked up at me and replied, "Darius."
My heart skipped a beat.
Darius was the Alpha King, the ruler of all werewolf territories.
His portrait hung in the highest place in every academy textbook.
But no portrait had ever captured the coldness in his eyes.
And no portrait had shown how that coldness could turn into restraint when he looked at me.
I asked, "Why did you save me?"
"
