The demand came out sharper than she felt, drawing on reserves of defiance she didn't know she still possessed.
"You made yourself clear yesterday. You don't want me. You think I'm weak and worthless and beneath you. So why can't you just leave me alone?"
His gaze flicked down to her lips for just a moment—long enough to make her breath catch—then snapped back to her eyes. His chest rose and fell too fast, like he'd been running instead of simply cornering her in an empty hallway.
When he spoke, his voice came out low and rough, carrying undertones that were more wolf than human. "You're not as weak as I thought."
The words hung between them like a confession, heavy with implications she wasn't ready to process. His eyes blazed when he said it, golden fire flaring in the depths of sto
