Natalia’s POV
The moment I saw Andrei hanging there in that cage, limp and lifeless, I dropped to my knees. I didn’t care that my kneecaps barked with pain from the impact of the stone floor. Didn’t care if I scraped my skin until it bled or the fact that the scream that ripped from my throat was harsh enough to tear my esophagus open.
The King had Andrei. Captive. In a cage like a f*****g animal.
Again.
“Relax, my love. He’s alive, by my mercy.”
Fucking monster. He actually thought he was doing me a favor—as if hovering my husband, my mate, in a cage above this pool of briny, poisoned water was some kind of gift.
“Mercy?” I managed, clutching my child closer. “You call this mercy?”
“What else is it?” The King waved his hand again, and the cage began to descend once more with that a
