I stood there in the great hall, feeling like a shadow in Elias's wake, as the family's eyes bored into me.
Uncle Thorne crossed his arms, his bushy brows knitting together. "Why'd you bring the maid along? This is a family reunion. She's gonna scrub the lodge floors while we're here?"
I kept my head down, playing the role Elias had forced on me, but inside, resentment simmered like a pot about to boil over.
A maid. Again. As if stripping me of my identity wasn't enough in his mansion; now he paraded it here, in front of his pack. The bond tugged faintly, a reminder of last night's kiss in the garden, his hands on my face, pheromones wrapping around me like chains. I shoved the memory down, focusing on the worn wooden floor beneath my feet.
Elias didn't even glance back at me
