Delilah*
“Why not?” My voice cracked like a whip. “Because I’m not fragile enough to cry at your scars? Because I know how to command instead of kneel?”
He stared at me. “You think this is about strength?”
“No,” I said. “It’s about loyalty. And you know mine is unwavering.”
There was a long pause. Then:
“She’s my mate, Delilah.”
“So am I,” I whispered. “You felt it once. You still feel it. You can’t stand this close to me without remembering.”
He looked away. That was all the answer I needed.
I reached up, touched his jaw. “Let’s seal it. Make it real.”
He grabbed my wrist, firm. “Stop.”
But he didn’t pull away.
“I can give you sons,” I said. “A future. A legacy.”
He dropped my hand.
“I don’t want a throne built on blood and desperation.”
“And yet you’re swimming in both.”
T
