The moment stretched—thin as a blade.
Iva turned, already stepping back, apology forming on her lips, instinct screaming leave, now—
—but she never got the chance.
A hand tangled brutally in her hair.
Pain exploded across her scalp as she gasped, the breath ripped from her lungs while she was yanked backward with merciless strength. Her feet stumbled, heart slamming wildly as she was dragged forward like prey caught in a snare.
“Well, well,” a voice purred above her, sweet and poisonous all at once. “Looks like I caught myself a little rat.”
Laughter followed. Sharp. Cruel.
Iva’s fingers clawed uselessly at the wrist in her hair, tears stinging her eyes as she was hauled toward the table, her cap falling to the floor. The woman holding her was tall—very tall—even by Lycan standards.
