Mary Ann’s POV
“If I become Alpha, I will not force you to remain Modric’s wife.”
For several seconds, I could only stare at Darius.
The evening air moved through the eastern courtyard, carrying the smell of wet stone and pine from the gardens. Two guards stood far enough away to give us privacy, but close enough to respond if the conversation became dangerous.
Darius remained beneath the archway with his hands loosely clasped behind his back.
His face was calm.
Too calm for a man who had just spoken about ending my marriage.
“What exactly are you offering me?” I asked.
“Freedom.”
The word unsettled me more than it should have.
Freedom was something I had wanted for months.
Freedom from Modric’s cruelty.
From Velvera’s shadow.
From a marriage built through deception.
From eld
