Astor’s eyes met mine, and the brief moment of shock vanished, replaced by an impassive, chilling coldness.
I tried to reach out with my mind, to grab onto the mate bond, to show him the truth, to beg him to listen. But when I reached for him, there was nothing. A solid, impenetrable wall had been placed in his mind. I couldn't feel his emotions, his worry, or even the familiar warmth of our matebond.
He believed her. The way he was looking at me, the absence in his mind he already believed I was capable of doing something so. Sinister.
Ovelia straightened, leaning heavily on Astor, giving me one last look of absolute venom. "She is a monster," she whispered dramatically, before Astor led her gently away, out of the cell.
Finally, we were alone.
I hoped. I hoped that now, without his
