Willow felt the blood drain from her face as Magnus stood before her with his hand extended, that charming smile on his face doing nothing to calm the panic rising in her chest.
Every eye in the grand ballroom had turned to them and she could feel the weight of their stares like physical touches on her skin.
She could hear the whispers beginning to ripple through the crowd like wind through leaves.
She had heard every horrible word Alpha Julian had said about her, each one making her skin crawl and her stomach turn.
The way he had looked at her all evening, like she was a piece of meat he was considering purchasing, had made her want to disappear into the shadows.
She understood what Magnus was doing. He was trying to protect her from Julian's interest by publicly claiming her as under his protection, but now she was the center of attention in a room full of the most powerful wolves in the territory.
This was bad. This was very, very bad.
