I still remembered the look on her face afterward. Shock. Pain. Humiliation. At the time, I told myself I had simply protected my future. Protected the pack. Protected what fate had already chosen. But standing here now, watching Rowan defend her publicly and look at her like she still mattered more than anything else in the room … For the first time, I wondered if all I had really done was delay the inevitable.
“You’re spending a great deal of time with her,” I said quietly.
“Seraphina.” Rowan’s expression tightened instantly. Warning. Not denial. That terrified me more than anger would have. Because if nothing existed between them, he would have dismissed the accusation immediately.
Instead, he sounded protective. Of her. I swallowed down the jealousy before it became visible. Barely.
