|Gryphon's POV|
The world narrows to the sound of her breath. Shaky. Raw. Haunted.
My chest tightens so violently it feels like something inside me might snap. The urge to destroy everything in my path pounds like a war drum in my head—but I don't move. I just watch her. Serena. The girl who was forced to become a weapon to survive. The woman who still stands, even with chains around her soul.
She thinks she's beyond saving. That she's too far gone.
She's wrong.
"I'm going to kill him," I say, the words flat, emotionless. Not a threat. A vow. "Donovan. That sick bastard. I'm going to put him in the ground."
Her head jerks up, panic flaring in her eyes.
"No." Her voice cracks. "You can't. You don't understand. He has everything—evidence, contacts, power. If you touch him, he'll make
