Maren swallowed hard, her fingers wrinkling the printed sheets. She glanced at me, looking for a sign, but before she could say anything, I intervened.
"Father, enough," I said, taking a step forward, my Alpha aura starting to overflow my control. "This has nothing to do with her..."
"Shut up, Thorne!" My father let out a command roar so powerful that the glass in the bookshelves vibrated.
***
MAREN’S POV
I felt tiny, sitting in that leather chair in front of Rector Owen’s desk. Thorne was only a yard away and, although he didn't touch me, his heat radiated toward me like a soft caress.
For a second, a spark of selfish hope caught fire in my womb. Do it, I pleaded mentally while the Rector cornered him. Tell them I’m your mate.
However, as the Rector spoke, my initial hope of being
