Layla's POV
I blinked at Gabriel in shock. He had never been this forward with me about this, we had always danced around it, like an open secret.
But Freja was, predictably, excited by his words.
"Finally. Man enough to speak his mind and tell us what he wants plainly. No more games. No hiding and no pretending."
But I didn't want this. I couldn't.
"I'm not yours," I snapped furiously, and his dark laugh only infuriated me further.
"You've always been mine," he said, his jaw tight. "From the moment I saw you and chose to stand between you and the first hand that tried to take something from you. You knew it. I knew it. We only lied to ourselves because it was easier."
My breath caught in my chest and I hated that his eyes focused on the way my chest lifted with it.
