Delilah’s Pov

I stared at him, my breath caught somewhere between a sob and a scream. You’re mine now. His words hung in the air like a noose. For a heartbeat, I didn’t even know how to feel—cry, laugh, or claw my way out.

“I will never belong to you,” I said finally, my voice trembling but sharp. “I belong to someone else. No matter what you do… you’d rather kill me than make me succumb to you. He loves me, even though he doesn’t say it, and I love him.”

Verret tilted his head, eyes narrowing. “You seem to like or love your mate so much. Why don’t you...