Chapter Thirty-Four
Ana
I stared at Lily, my heart stopping in my chest.
The words she had just spoken—the formal rejection of her mate—echoed through the silent ballroom like a thunderclap. In our world, a mate bond was everything. To sever it so publicly was a death sentence for one’s social standing, especially for a woman.
I reached out, my fingers trembling as I tried to grab her hands. I wanted to pull her back, to tell her to take it back before it was too late. I could not let her destroy her life because of the misery I was enduring.
"Lily, please, stop," I whispered, my voice thick with unshed tears. "You don't have to do this. You don't have to suffer because of me. Please, don't throw away your future for my sake. I am already a slave; don't make yourself an outcast too."
