“That person had far more status and connections than you,” I continued, tilting my head slightly. “So tell me… do you think you’re better protected than Alpha Jackson’s daughter?”
Clarke’s mouth twitched.
I caught the spike of unease in his scent. He was starting to understand.
I wasn’t the soft, broken woman the rumors painted. If anything… I was worse.
“Are you threatening me?” he asked, but his voice wavered, betraying him.
I shrugged lightly, as if none of this mattered. “Not at all,” I said. “I’m just explaining something simple.”
My fingers loosened on the knife.
“As a mother…” I added quietly, my wolf’s presence bleeding into every word, “I will do anything for my child.”
I released the knife completely and lifted my coffee, taking a slow, delicate sip, as if we were discus
