I wanted the freedom to choose my own mate, to stand as an equal beside someone, not be trapped in a loveless alliance orchestrated for power. But I had never confided this to anyone—not even Alaric.
I feared that if he discovered I was the Queen Wolf of the Elite Circles, he would feel crushed beneath the weight of my status, insecure and overwhelmed.
Since childhood, every male around me had only ever wanted me for my position. I despised those calculated displays of affection, those compliments dripping with hidden agendas. But Alaric—when he looked at me, his eyes held nothing but stars.
The memory of how perfect things had been made a bitter laugh escape me.
“What are you laughing at?” Alaric’s frown cut through me, his voice sharp with disdain. “How can you laugh at a time like this?”
I lifted my head, holding his gaze without flinching. “Do you honestly think I climb to the top by sleeping with wolves?”
“Then what else have you done?” he sneered, his voice icy. “Tell me—what else could you have done that deserves any respect?”
It felt as if invisible claws had squeezed around my heart, tightening until every breath became a struggle.