Chapter 196

“Then it’s best you tell me where you’re going,” he said firmly, his voice low and unyielding, “so I can pack my bags.”

The seriousness in his tone startled me. He wasn’t joking-he meant every word. I opened my mouth to reply, but before I could, he stepped closer, his gaze locking onto mine with a fire that refused to be extinguished.

“Lucian said some things,” he continued, his voice raw with emotion, “but we were never in agreement. Only a fool would let his mate go. I can’t let you go,

Scarlett. I would be lying to myself if I said I could. I didn’t even know why I agreed to go along with it in the first place.”

His hands gripped my arms gently but with purpose, as if he was afraid I might vanish if he let go. His words spilled out in a desperate rush, each one

cutting through the walls I’d built around myself.

“Please, give me a chance to prove to you that I’m sorry,” he pleaded, his voice trembling with sincerity.