But just as they approached, Heiko slowed his pace slightly, his voice dropping to a near-whisper, intimate and commanding all at once.
“And don’t forget what I told you earlier today,” he said, eyes fixed on the golden handles looming ahead. “Find your voice. Don’t let yourself be disrespected—not by them, not by anyone. You are my mate now. Act like it.”
She nodded again, this time with a flicker more resolve, the sting of his earlier words echoing inside her. If you let them treat you like this, you disrespect me.
River inhaled deeply, feeling the cold air burn her lungs as she straightened her spine. Her heart still thundered, her fingers still trembled slightly at her sides, but something had shifted, if only slightly.
She wasn’t ready.
But she would try. For tonight, for him—and
