DARIAN
The moment the palace gates shut behind me, I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. My stomach churned violently. The taste of her lips still lingered on mine, bitter, cloying and wrong in every possible way.
The very thought of her name made my wolf growl inside me, a deep, restless rumble that clawed at my chest. My hands trembled, though not from weakness, but from the raw, unfiltered rage I’d been holding back the entire time the performance happened.
I reached my chambers, without thinking, my steps fast and almost desperate. The second the door shut behind me, I tore off my gloves, flung them onto the floor and made my way straight to the wash basin. I grabbed the edge of the marble and leaned forward, scrubbing my lips with the back of my hand like I could e
