**(Elliott's Perspective)**
I watched her flee the dance floor, wounded and fragile, while Kayden Black remained rooted in place, his face a canvas of futile regret. **He is utterly unworthy of her.**
Moving swiftly, I found her in a shadowed corridor, leaning against the wall, her shoulders trembling slightly.
"Leah," I said softly.
She looked up, eyes red-rimmed but defiantly dry. "Elliott... I'm sorry you had to witness that."
"The apology is not yours to give," I replied, my voice gentler than I'd planned. And then—fueled by her emotional distress—her heartbeat accelerated. That vibrant, potent rhythm, coupled with the sweet rush of blood in her veins, pierced my senses like a siren's call, striking directly at my long-dormant instincts.
**No.** I clenched my jaw until my teeth a
