Natalie~
The soft clatter of Darius's chains echoed through the dim corridor as we stepped into view—shadows peeling away like old skin to reveal us.
His head jerked up at once.
Our eyes met.
And there it was—raw and unfiltered.
Shock. Disbelief. Fear.
He buried it quickly, but not quickly enough. I caught the twitch in his jaw, the slight flare of his nostrils, the pupils that widened a fraction too much before shrinking back down. He stood straighter, too fast, too rigid, like a man trying to salvage the last scraps of pride from a shattered crown. Once, he was the mighty Alpha. Untouchable. Now? Chained, dirt-caked, and completely rattled by the girl he'd once branded as "worthless" and "wolfless."
