He watches me absorb it. His face gives nothing away, but his jaw is tight, his stance taut with restraint. He wants to reach out for me, I feel it, but he doesn’t.
“When were you going to tell me?” His voice is quiet now. “About the engagement.”
“I wasn’t. I assumed it would reach you, eventually.”
His jaw clenches. “That’s low, Aria. Even for you.”
“Why?” I snap. “You give these speeches about how much you care, how youalwayscared, but what did you actuallydo? You stood back while Dom swept in. You sulked. Then you ran off to your precious sanctuary like none of it mattered.”
“That’s not fair.”
“It’s true.”
“You know I cared. I still do. But this isn’t even about us, it’s about Dom chaining you to this city when I know damn well you never wanted to stay here.”
“I signed that contract willingly,” I bite out. “To protect him.”
Rowe lets out a bitter laugh. “Of course. You’re protecting him.Again.Are you really that blind, Aria?”
“I’m not!”
“If Dom wasn’t so selfish, he would have let you go. Now look at you, trapped with no way out.”
“Stop it!”
“Did you never wonder why Alexander and your father let us spend so much time together? Why they encouraged it? It was all planned, Aria. They wanted us married. Just like the contract Kian gaveyou. The only difference? I said no.”
I stare at him. “You’re lying.”
“Think about it. All those years growing up, seeing Dom at events, at galas, he never once spoke to you. Then suddenly at the Academy—”
“That was different.”
“No, it wasn’t.” His voice slices clean through my protest. “He entered your life the same week I told Alexander I wouldn’t marry you. The same week I showed him the sanctuary blueprints. That’s not a coincidence.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Why would I lie?” His voice cracks under the frustration. “Everything is finally making sense.”
“Why didn’t you tell me before?” My hands curl into fists. “Why wait until now?”
He steps forward, storm breaking in his eyes. “Would it have mattered?” His voice drops to a near-whisper. “Would you have chosen differently?”
I hesitate, and in that moment of silence, everything between us seems to crackle with possibility. Rowe inches closer, and I can’t tell whether I want to step away or fall into him—
A sharp, bone-deep crack shatters the moment. The protective barriers shudder as someone tests their limits.
The lights blink out.
An emergency alarm shrieks to life, sharp and dissonant. Red pulses strobe through the room as another blow slams into the outer perimeter. The wards screech, high and distorted, a sound that vibrates in my teeth.
“Move.” Rowe grabs my wrist, yanking me toward the hidden passage behind the bookshelf. The alarms reach a fever pitch, drowning out my thundering heart. “Now.”
Glass explodes somewhere below. It sounded like a thousand wind chimes collapsing. Then comes the growl.
Low. Vicious. Starved.
“Rowe, what—”
