登入RONAN’S POVI paced back and forth around my chambers, with my heart pounding and my mind racing. I had sent the message to Mira, and now all I could do was wait and hope that she would come. I ran my hands through my hair and tried to calm myself down, but it was impossible, because everytime I closed my eyes, I saw her face, everytime I breathed in, I smelled her scent and everytime I thought about her, I felt the same desperate hunger tbat had been burning inside me since the night we met.She was going to come. She had said she would come. But what if she changed her mind? What if she decided it was too dangerous? What if she let her fear win?I stopped pacing and sat down on the edge of the bed, and gripped the edge of the mattress. I thought about the kiss in the garden, the way her lips had felt against mine, the way her body had pressed against me like she never wanted to let go. I thought about the way she had looked at me, like I was the only thing in the room. I thought abo
MIRA’S POVI walked back to my room after dinner with my feet heavy and my chest tight, and every step I took felt like I was carrying the weight of everything that had just happened. The words of Aunt Mae and Claudia were still ringing in my ears, so sharp and cutting like shards of broken glass, and I could not seem to push them out of my head no matter how hard I tried.When I finally reached my chambers and closed the door behind me, I leaned against it and exhaled shakily. The silence of the room covered me like a cold blanket, and felt the tears gathering behind my eyes, but I sniffed and refused to let them fall, because I had cried too many tears over people who do not deserve them, and I was tired of being weak. I was tired of letting them break me.I walked over to my bed and sat down, staring blankly at the wall in front of me. My mind was racing as I replayed every moment of that awful dinner. I remembered Aunt Mae’s cold voice telling me I was not a princess, and that I s
MIRA’S POVI was still in my room, with my mind drifting back to the garden, back to Ronan, back to the way his lips had felt against mine. I could still feel the warmth of his hands on my waist, still hear his voice in my ear and still taste him on my tongue. Everything inside me was still buzzing with the memory of that kiss, and I did not know how I was supposed to focus on anything else.Then I heard a knock at my door.I opened it and saw a maid standing there, her eyes were bowed low and respectful. “The Luna dowager wants to see you in the visitor’s room.” She said. “There is someone here to see you.”I felt a knot form in my chest, because I did not know who it could be, and something about the maid’s tone made me nervous. But I shook the feeling away and nodded and told her I will be there shortly. I went back to the mirror and smoothed my dress and checked my reflection, then I walked out of my room and made my way to the visitor’s room.When I walked in, I froze.Aunt Mae w
MIRA’S POVI stayed hidden in the shadows of the garden for what felt like forever, with my back pressed against the rough bark of the oak tree and my hand pressed against my chest to try and slow down my racing heart. I could still feel Roman’s lips on mine, could still taste him on my tongue, could still feel the warmth feeling of his hands on my waist and his arousal on my thighs. My body was trembling and my skin was burning and I did not know how I was supposed to go back inside and act like nothing had happened when everything inside me was screaming his name.I closed my eyes and tried to breathe, but every breath I took made me remember his scent, pure cedar and rain and something else that was just him. I wanted to go after him. I wanted to find him and pull him back into the shadows and finish what we started. But I could not. Declan was out there, and Ronan had told me to be silent.I heard footsteps once more on the gravel path and my heart stopped. I pressed myself deeper
RONAN’S POVHer lips were soft and warm against mine, and I was lost.I had wanted this for so long, had dreamed about it every night since the club, had imagined what it would feel like to kiss her again without the haze of alcohol clouding everything. And now that it was happening, now that her body was pressed against mine and her hands were tangled in my hair and her breath was mixing with my breath, I could not think about anything else. I could not think about Declan or the pack or the danger we were both in. I could only think about her.She opened her lips and moaned softly, and I deepened the kiss, tasting her, feeling her and wanting more. My hands moved to her waist and pulled her closer until there was no space left between us. She made a small sound in the back of her throat, and the sound sent a jolt of heat straight through me. I wanted to hear that sound again. I wanted to hear it over and over, without stopping.I pulled back just enough to look at her, and her eyes w
MIRA’S POVI left Zara’s boutique with my heart pounding and my mind made up.I was tired of being scared. Tired of waiting and tired of letting fear decide my life. I had spent three years being invisible, being used, being treated like I did not matter. And now, for the first time in a long time, I felt something real. Something that made me feel alive.And I was not going to let it slip away.I walked back to the pack house with a plan in my head. I needed to find Ronan, I needed to talk to him, and I needed to know if what I felt was real or if I was imagining it. I needed to know if he felt the same way.I asked my servant passing by if she had seen Alpha Ronan, and she told me he had gone to the gardens at the back of the pack house. I thanked her and walked in that direction, with my heart beating faster with every step I took.The gardens were quiet and peaceful. It was filled with flowers and tall trees that created long shadows in the bright afternoon light. I walked slowly,
MIRA’S POVI stood outside Declan’s chambers with my hand raised to knock on his door, but something made me pause. The door was not fully closed, and through the small gap, I saw them.Declan and Dorian.They were in each other’s arms, kissing with so much passion. A feeling that I had never once
MIRA’S POVDeclan rudely tapped my leg to wake me up and I opened my eyes and saw him standing over me, already dressed and looking at me like I was nothing. He face was cold and his eyes were sharp.“Get up,” he barked at me. “You need to get ready. The guests are coming down for breakfast, so you
RONAN’S POVI could not sleep.I had been lying in the dark for what felt like hours, staring at the ceiling and replaying every moment of the conversation I had with Mira in the dark hallway. I thought about the way her voice had trembled when she said “My mate should not know about this,” the way
RONAN’S POVI walked away from the hallway with my heart pounding and my mind spinning. The conversation with Mira had left me feeling like I had been punched in my chest. The way she had looked at me, the way she had bitten her lip, and the way she had said “My mate should not know about this.” I







