Chapter 80

As the music swelled and laughter filled the hall, my throat tightened. I kept my eyes down, but I could feel him.

His presence was like a fire beneath my skin, drawing me in, pulling me toward him even when I knew I shouldn’t look.

But I did.

I risked a glance, just one.

And I caught him watching me.

Across the glittering room, past the nobles and silks and chandeliers — his gaze was locked on me.

Not Valerie.

Not the noble alphas or their perfect mates.

Me.

It was brief. A flicker. A ghost of something unreadable in his eyes.

Then it was gone. He turned away as if it had never happened.

As if I didn’t exist.

Still, my pulse thundered in my ears. My grip on the tray tightened until my knuckles ached.

"Stop staring," I muttered to myself. "He doesn’t care. He’ll never care."

But part of me whispered what if?

What if that flicker meant something?

What if he saw me — truly saw me — for just a second?

A crash jerked me out of my thoughts. A noble had bumped into a servant, sending wine c