Clara’s POV
“Let me go!” I tried twisting away, but the hold only tightened.
“Is this how you’d escape a rogue who caught you unaware?” A familiar deep voice rumbled against my ear, sending an involuntary shiver down my spine.
“Alpha Darius?” I stopped struggling, my pulse skyrocketing for an entirely different reason now.
“Why would your mate reject such a resourceful asset to his pack?” he asked, his breath warm against my neck. “A woman who knows secret cave entrances and battle strategies?”
I stiffened. Not because I was hiding anything—he already knew. I’d told him everything. But the way he said it, like my worth was a weapon Jaden had stupidly cast aside, scraped at something raw inside me.
“Doesn’t matter what he thought,” I muttered, pulling slightly against his grip. “I’m n
