Chapter 382

“Zavian.”

Emmeline’s voice was barely above a whisper yet saturated with raw terror.

The tremulous quality of her plea reached something fundamental within Zavian that even Luca’s rational arguments couldn’t touch. Her voice quavered, breaking on his name in a way that physically pained him to hear.

She had spoken his name with such fear that it forced him to see himself through her eyes: not the respected judge or even the supernatural being, but a monster on the verge of violence that would forever alter how she perceived him.

“Please let him go.” Emmeline’s voice cracked on the final word. “Don’t do this. Not for me. Not like this.”

The simple plea carried more weight than elaborate arguments could have. In those broken words lay all her vulnerability, her fear not just for Richard but for Zavian himself—for what crossing this line would cost him. For what it would cost them.

The raw emotion in her voice penetrated the haze of his fury like sun