Julian's eyes stayed locked on me. I could feel the storm inside him even before he spoke guilt, grief, confusion… and something else I didn't want to name.
After a long moment, his shoulders dropped, and his voice came out low and heavy.
"My first mate is gone," he said. "It doesn't matter who I marry now. I'll let Aunt Riley handle everything."
How dramatic.
Julian and Camilla…
If acting were a pack sport, they'd both be crowned champions.
He plays the grieving, loyal mate.
She plays the fragile, misunderstood girl.
I'd let their performance go on long enough. I couldn't allow Camilla's plans to slip any further. Not after what she'd already done. I needed both of them contained. No more chaos. No more destruction.
Camilla finally stepped into the silence, her voice soft and trembling.
"Julian… would you really mate with someone else? After everything between us?"
Her act had lost its shine.
Her hold on Julian was slipping, and she knew it.
