Chapter 105

Darius

The fire hissed when another log split in the flames, shadows flickering across the room. My glass of scotch dangled loosely between my fingers, but my mind wasn’t on the burn of the liquor. It was on her.

The one person who had dared not only defy me, but to do it without fear.

Alaria.

The way she’d looked at me, fury in her eyes but fire still simmering beneath. I could taste her defiance. And it made the waiting unbearable.

It made my skin crawl as I felt the pressure under it, knowing that no matter how hard I tried, claiming her was almost impossible.

“You’re slipping.”

I turned my head. Marcus, my beta, stood near the edge of the hearth. Broad-shouldered, steady, his expression carved from stone. He’d been with me through blood, war, betrayal—long enough to think he had the right to call me out.

“Am I?” I asked, raising a brow. “I wouldn't have known.”

“Yes,” Marcus said flatly. “You’re letting jealousy s