Xavier'S POV
I cleared my throat.
“We can’t do that.”
“You have to let me leave.” Her jaw set at a stubborn angle.
Once again, I marveled at this woman before me. She stared us down, daring us to defy her. Elara looked like a queen despite the satin nightgown and fur-lined robe she wore. She was a conqueror and we, her enemy.
Every time I thought we’d scared her into submission, rather than cower before us in fear, she surprised me with her defiance. Lysander’s wolf had chased and tackled her. He could have easily made a meal of her, and yet she’d held his gaze as we walked away.
I’d had to briefly turn away when Kaelen searched her mind and she screamed. My chest had tightened in a most unfamiliar and painful way. I was not normally one to shy away from unpleasantness. Now, minutes
