ZAHRA-ROSE
With my head resting on his shoulder as he carried me out of the arena, by the Moon Goddess, I wanted to disappear.
I felt weak, small even. Every pair of eyes followed us as he walked, and I could feel their laughter like claws raking over my skin. Some smirked, others whispered. The humiliation burned so deep I wished the earth would open up and swallow me whole.
But Ashvin never stopped.
Not when my sister called after him, not when his mother barked orders for him to come back. He kept walking, his stride long, commanding, unrelenting.
He didn’t stop until we reached the gates. He opened the car door and lowered me gently inside, his expression unreadable, but his wolf, Zen, still hummed low under his skin. Protective. Angry.
I sighed, not from exhaustion but from the
