CHAPTER ELEVEN: ANGER

King Ryker's POV

I froze at Aiden’s words, anger and envy rising inside me at once. Mark her.

My jaw clenched so hard it hurt. Mark her? What if I told him I hadn’t even thought that far since the bond flared between us.

It isn’t that I hate her. Goddess, no. And I don’t blame her for her father’s sins, though Caden will never stop holding that blade against her throat.

If anything, she is everything I should want in a mate. A body built to tempt, a face that could bring kingdoms to their knees.

But here’s the truth that claws at me, one I’d never admit aloud— I don’t feel it. My wolf recognized her, yes. Ours. But me? I felt… nothing close to what they did.

I don’t feel the bond the way Aiden does, the way Caden tries to deny but can’t escape. And that? It terrifies me more than anything else.

“So eager to lose yourself, brother? Careful—you might choke on her before you taste her,” I spat coldly.

Caden shifted on his feet, his jaw ticking as though my words cut deep. His eyes fli