The tension in the room was palpable, the air thick with unspoken frustrations and raw emotions. Anya stood frozen for a moment, Axel’s words echoing in her mind: “You’re not just anyone anymore.”
Her chest tightened, and she felt a wave of hurt wash over her. She had always known she came from a modest background, an orphan with little to her name. But hearing him frame her value in such a dismissive way, it cut deeper than she’d thought possible.
She took a shaky breath, her voice trembling but filled with sharp irony. “Oh, I’m sorry, Your Royal Highness, that your insignificant mate didn’t ask for permission for her daily activities.”
Axel’s head snapped toward her, his eyes narrowing as his temper flared. She felt the shift in his aura, the heavy weight of his Reaper side bleeding t
