Chapter Twenty One
William's gaze lifts, sharp as ice. “Then you learn what it means to be claimed by Shane.”
The words hit harder than a shout. My stomach twists.
“That again?” My voice shakes with fury. “All you ever say is Shane this, Shane that. As if I’m too stupid to understand the danger without you hammering it into my skull. Maybe if you trusted me with the truth instead of dangling it like a leash, I wouldn’t flare every time you open your mouth.”
The shadow overtakes his eyes fully this time, black bleeding outward until the whites vanish. The air in the room thickens, heavy and charged.
For a moment, I think he’ll lose control. Then he exhales through his nose, long and deliberate, and the black recedes, leaving his irises pale again.
“You want truth?” His voice is lower
