Zeraphine's POV
"I don’t need a mate as well."
Those words kept echoing in my head. My wolf growled, restless and hurt, but I forced myself to remain still. I wasn’t going to show how much it affected me especially while he stared right into my eyes as if he could see right through all the walls I had built around me.
"It’s better that way," I replied, my voice low but firm. "We can keep pretending we’re strangers. It’s what we are, after all."
His eyes narrowed, dark and calculating. For a moment, I thought he would let it go, but then he tilted his head slightly, a smirk pulling at his lips.
"Strangers?" he repeated, his tone laced with something I couldn’t quite place. "Tell me, Zeraphine—how does the ex-daughter-in-law of the Valtherans end up as the daughter of the Awunuis?"
The
