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“Is this some stupid prank or something?”

“You never know when to stay away, do you?” Victor snarled, and I took a step forward, ready to tear him apart with my arms if it got to that.

“You’re the one parading my mate as your bride.”

Victor equally took a step forward.

“You rejected her Griffin. You locked her in a dark prison in your castle. You lost the right to call her a mate years ago.”

“That’s enough,” Mira said, placing her dainty hands on Victor’s shoulders, her voice dropping to a soft-cozy tone and forcing him to look at her. “He’s here for me. Let me handle this once and for all.”

Victor placed a kiss on her fingers before shooting me a warning look. “Try any funny business with her, and I’ll have your head.”

“How about you let that mask you’ve perpetually hidden behind fall off, and then we can talk about what you can and cannot do,” I threw back at him, boring holes into his back as he exited the room.

I was in Mira’s face in a flash, inspecting her for signs of physical abuse and dumping a truckload of questions on her.

“Are you okay? Is he forcing you to do this? Is he threatening you? Where is Noah?”

She ripped her arms from mine, taking a step back. “Not that it’s your business, but Noah is fine, and Victor is not forcing me. I’m getting married to him because I want to.”

I felt an unexpected pain pierce my chest, but I refused to take her words. She was looking everywhere but me. “Look at me and repeat what you just said.”

“It doesn’t matter if I look at you or not, Griffin. I’m getting married to him.”

Griffin, not Mr. Thorne. She called me by name. That must mean something. She was slowly letting the walls she built around her fall.

“Mira, you can’t marry him. He’s not who you think he is. He is cruel and wicked. He’s not the man for you.”

“And you are?” she shot back at me, eyes ablaze and her nose flaring with anger. “I haven’t forgotten how you took my virginity and had me thrown in a dungeon shortly after. At least he’s not ashamed of me.”

I scoffed. “He couldn’t even reveal your true identity to the court or tell them your position at the palace.”

I soon realized the error of my words when she physically recoiled. I decided to retrace my steps and address the matter she raised. It was more important than Victor and whatever he had planned.

“Mira, I can explain. I was wrong. I was misled, and I’m sorry. If you give me the chance, I’d spend my whole life making it up to you.”

“It’s too late, Griffin.” Her voice was a low whisper, and I would’ve missed it if I wasn’t paying attention.

I took a step closer, taking her hands in mine. “It’s not, baby, and you know it. You just have to go back there and tell him you’ve changed your mind. You know deep down that it’s you and I.”

“That was a long time ago.”

“You can’t say that when my touch makes you shiver and my presence affects you so much,” I replied, leaning in and trailing my lips from her neck to her ears.

She shuddered, but she didn’t pull back. “Remember the last time we kissed? How you melted into me, and how every curve of your body fits right into mine,” I continued trailing kisses all over her neck, loving the feeling of her squirming breathlessly.

I ran my tongue softly around her ears, nipping softly at the lobe. “Does his voice make you shiver like mine? Does his touch make you lose your senses?”

A soft moan escaped her lips, and I seized the moment to dip my head, capturing her lips in a searing kiss. She was immediately receptive, opening up and tangling her tongue with mine.

I hoisted her up, wrapping her legs around me and leading us to the elevated podium in the middle of the room. We were seated on the throne, with her on top of me, lips sealed to mine, and her hips grinding recklessly on my rock-hard erection.

My hands dug into her plump ass, pressing her crotch further into me and drinking every moan spilling from her lips as I intensified the friction between us. I wasn’t even inside her yet, and I felt so close to creaming my pants like a horny teenager.

I let out a strained groan, breaking our kiss and returning my focus to her delicate neck. I could feel my wolf urging me to claim her, to mark her as ours. It might have been an incredibly selfish decision, but I couldn’t help it. I was on the verge of losing her, and this was my only way to make sure she stayed.

I let my canines extend, grazing the sharp teeth on her neck before exerting enough pressure to break the skin, but she was faster, tearing herself from me and stumbling onto her feet.