Adrien.
I had sworn to myself, long before this chaos, long before the tension and the anger, that when I found my mate, I would protect her.
Guide her.
Stand between her and anything that dared threaten her.
That was instinct.
That was law.
That was the promise every Alpha carried in his blood.
But standing here now, looking at Maria as she stared back at me with that cold, wounded defiance, I couldn't help the bitter taste that rose in my throat.
Disappointment.
Not in her.
In myself.
I had meant to shield her, Instead, I had hurt her repeatedly…..and now she was looking at me like I was the enemy.
"It's not your concern who touches me," she had said.
The words echoed in my skull like a challenge.
Not my concern?
It was my damn concern.
Every fiber of my being rejected her claim.
The mate bond pulsed low and steady beneath my skin, a constant pull toward her. It didn't ask whether I loved her. It didn't wait for permission.
It simply tethered me.
