The crack of Freya's slap cut through the room like thunder, freezing the very air around them.
Though she'd put all her strength into it, the slap was weak. After a night of fever and no food, it landed with no more force than a butterfly’s wing against his jaw.
Niklaus didn't even flinch.
But the power of a slap wasn't measured in pain, it was measured in disrespect.
And no one disrespected an Alpha.
His eyes narrowed dangerously as he stared at her, pulling her from the bed into his arms. "You've gotten quite bold, haven't you?" His voice was deceptively calm, but each word vibrated with barely contained fury. "Now you dare to raise your hand against me?"
Freya tensed, preparing for retaliation, but Niklaus merely held her with that lethal gaze.
Inside him, Flex w
