Venessa’s POV
I truly believed Denzel had brought me along to settle his debt with the bears.
When Alpha Keon demanded me outright, it felt as though I had been stripped of my humanity and reduced to a bargaining chip. An object. Something that could be traded to balance scales and soothe wounded pride. The pain of that realization cut deep and what hurt just as much was Denzel’s hesitation, his attempts to maneuver around the situation instead of addressing it head-on.
In that moment, all I could think was why bring me here at all if he never intended to give me to them?
I convinced myself that this had always been his plan to see if he could avoid sacrificing me, and if not, to hand me over to appease the bears.
My vision blurred, tears gathering despite my efforts to stop them. Nyl
