The sound cracked through the room, sharp and final. My palm stung with the impact, a hot, satisfying pain that echoed the fury roaring in my ears. His head snapped to the side from the force of it.
"You... you hit our mate..."
I knew that already.
For a moment, there was only silence. The air itself seemed to hold its breath. Zephyrus slowly turned his head back to face me, a faint red mark blooming on his cheek. His eyes, those ancient, tempestuous eyes, were wide with pure, unadulterated shock.
"OH, GODDESS, WHAT DID YOU JUST DO?!"
"HE WANTS TO KILL OUR FAMILY!" I countered.
I could have forgiven his past, his lovers, or whatever else he did, but not this.
Anyone who tried to harm my family would pay with their life.
“You,” I seethed, my voice trembling with the force of m
