he tries to yank her wrist free, but I don’t let go. “Why do you suddenly care what I do?”
“I’m trying to protect you!”
“I never asked you to protect me!” The words explode from her, sharp and cutting. Then, a barrier slams down behind her eyes, and something cold takes over. “Besides, if we hadn’t marked each other, if it was just the fated mate bond, you’d be more than happy to use me as bait. Don’t pretend otherwise.”
The accusation stings. My wolf snarls in furious denial because she’s wrong—completely wrong. I’ve been watching over her for months, even when I kept my distance. Just because I avoided speaking to her didn’t mean I wasn’t tracking her movements across every room, noting who approached her, making sure she was safe. I would have fought against this plan just as hard be
