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I’m frozen next to the cave, caught between rushing to her aid and saving myself.
It would be too easy to slip into the mountainside. He would never have to know that I was here. It’s what every single cell in my body cries for me to do.
I’ve made it this far. I just have to survive a little longer. Then I’ll be free of the wolves.
But I can’t move. Not as I watch the wolf pawing at Lyra, not when her screams of terror send cold chills racing down my spine.
Shaking myself out of my frozen state, I take a step toward her. My eyes move from the wolf to her to the trees around her.
There’s not much I can do, I realize … Other than flinging myself toward the creature. I have the element of surprise on my side, but I fear that I’ll send us both toppling over the edge of the cliff next to where Lyra lies.
Would that be enough to kill him, or would I be the only one broken at the bottom?
It’s a reckless idea. Flinging myself at the creature will surely just result in my death. Yet, the longer I hesitate, the more certain I am that I have no other choice.
Either I let him maul Lyra to death, or I do something stupid and hope for the best.
Taking a breath, I dart toward them. He raises his cold silver gaze to stare at me as I approach.
“No,” Lyra cries as she realizes what I’m doing.
I meet his body with a hard thud. For a moment, neither of us moves, but then we’re toppling off Lyra.
I’m vaguely aware of her scrambling to her feet as we fall to the ground next to her. The wolf lets out a howl of anger as our momentum carries us further away from Lyra.
“Rose!”
Her large eyes meet mine as she scrambles toward me. It takes me a moment to realize that my body is rolling away from her. That I’m caught between her and the wolf and he’s dragging me down with him.
A cry escapes my throat as my fingers desperately search for something to cling to as the edge comes closer and closer. Just as my fingers wrap around a tree root, his claws sink into my leg. I scream out in pain as my skin gives way to his claws, and I lose my hold on the root.
Together, we crash over the edge, limbs, and bodies thrashing wildly as we free fall for a moment.
I hit the hard earth with a gasp. The air knocked from me as I try to pick myself up. The Grey Prince is next to me, anger flashing in his silver eyes as he recovers before I can. He pounces, pressing me into the dried leaves and sticks as he positions himself over me.
Slowly, he shifts back to his human form.
“You’ll come to regret that,” he snarls at me.
I press my lips together as I stare up at him.
Throwing myself at him was stupid, yes. But I knew exactly what it would achieve. Disgust and loathing flicker across his face as his hands pull at my skirts.
My own eyes widen as I see the slightest flicker of lust in his face. All too late, I realize what he means to do. He means to steal from me what he can.
It doesn’t matter that he didn’t choose me to carry his heir. I doubt I’ll even live long enough after this to learn if he managed to impregnate me.
My own disgust washes over me as his hands tear at my skirts. He sneers at me as he presses into me. Staring at him, I will myself to make a small sound, the slightest of gasps that I hope he takes to mean a moan.
He stills for a moment, his eyes meeting mine. I see surprise in them for a moment. This is not meant to be enjoyable for me.
Too bad for him, he’s not the first male I’ve had to pretend to enjoy being with. I refuse to give him the satisfaction of thinking he’s taking something against my will.
His growls of anger and frustration mix with my sounds of pleasure. He thrusts harder and harder as if that will silence me. It only has my cries growing louder.
His nails scratch my face, my neck, and my chest, but I ignore the small bites of pain. My eyes are locked on his as I put on the performance of my life for him, making him think I’m enjoying every second of this.
There’s a small amount of pleasure to be found in the way his face grows redder and angrier with each second. I’ve taken all his joy from this moment by acting as though I enjoy this.
