Rhett POV
I caught the hesitation. It lasted less than a second, but it was enough. My gaze darkened.
“What?”
She might have been thinking. Or tired.
Hesitation still read as rejection, especially with the faint trace of another Alpha still clinging to her skin.
I had spent most of my life keeping my temper on a short leash.
A top-tier alpha at my level couldn’t afford to let anger slip free; it became a physical threat before you even realized you’d moved. Pressure was safer. Controlled. Just enough to remind people who they were dealing with.
This time I didn’t have to manufacture it.
The anger was already there because she was hesitating; she might not want me. My wolf hated that possibility as much as my pride did.
Margot lowered her eyes.
“I’m going to take a shower.”
She s
