KARIN
The truth stayed between us, solid and unmoving. It filled the room. It carried weight I could feel in my chest. For the first time, his need to protect me made sense in a way it never had before. It was not only about rules or control. It came from fear. Old fear. The kind that never really leaves.
Fear of losing another mate.
Fear of losing another child.
That understanding did nothing to soften me. It did not make the past easier to accept. It did not excuse what he had done. And it did not mean I would agree to live my life locked away.
“There has to be another way,” I said. My voice stayed low, steady, even as my pulse raced.
“There isn’t.” Rowan Kincaid turned fully toward me. The look on his face made me pause. The emotion in his eyes was raw and unguarded. “I failed to
