Chapter 18. Judgment Rendered

He cocked a brow at me, waiting patiently for my reply, and in that moment I realized he still expected an answer. My cheeks warmed, and I fumbled with the words. “Brin… Elizabeth,” I stammered.

“Elizabeth,” he echoed softly, rolling the syllables around his tongue as though savoring a fine wine. “A beautiful name for a beautiful wolf.”

Heat flamed across my cheeks, and I ducked my gaze. When I lifted my head again, I met Noah’s topaz eyes fluttering at me, bright with amusement. I muttered a hurried, “Thank you,” my voice barely more than a whisper.

He grinned, those dancing eyes widening in delight, and at last released my arm. I exhaled so deeply I thought I might pass out from relief—thirty more seconds in his grasp, and I would surely have combusted on the spot.

Daniel stepped forward, face flushed, lips pulled back in a furious snarl. His voice, lower and rougher than any human’s, carried a volatile undercurrent of wolfish rage. “You can’t do this,” he