Page 24

The sincerity in his voice made her throat close up. When was the last time a man had apologized to her without making excuses or trying to justify his behavior? When had anyone ever risked their life to protect her?

"Well, you showed up at exactly the right time," she managed. "Thank you for saving me. Thank you for protecting me back there."

"Amara." His voice dropped to something that sounded almost like a vow. "I will always protect you."

The words should have set off every alarm bell in her head. Should have reminded her of Logan's promises, of every reason she had to guard her heart. Instead, they settled into her chest like a warm weight, solid and reassuring in a way that made her want to believe him.

"So when you ended the meeting," she said carefully, "was that you protecting me too?"

"Yes, I was trying to protect you from them. I couldn't bear seeing them tear you apart, but I should have trusted that you could handle it. I just didn't trust myself that I could handle it."

The admission hit her unexpectedly hard. Not because it hurt, but because it revealed something she'd never experienced before—a man strong enough to admit his vulnerabilities and honest enough to acknowledge his mistakes.

Maybe I should give Raxen a chance. Maybe I shouldn't be so quick to push him away.

The thought scared her more than the attacking lion had. Because giving him a chance meant opening herself up to the possibility of being hurt again. It meant trusting someone with pieces of herself she'd sworn to keep locked away.

But what if he's different? What if this could be something real?

TEN

RAXEN

The bathroom attached to Raxen's private chambers felt impossibly intimate with Amara standing so close, her fingers gentle but determined as she examined the claw marks across his shoulder and arm. He'd secured a towel around his waist, but his mate’s proximity made his lion pace restlessly beneath the surface.

I should have chased after her.

The thought had been torturing him since the moment she'd stormed out of the conference room. Her words still echoed in his mind: You just thought because you are an Alpha that you can say and do whatever you please. The accusation had cut deeper than any physical wound because part of him feared she might be right.

He'd sat frozen in that conference room, watching her leave, feeling something he'd never experienced before—the devastating combination of being completely wrong and utterly helpless to fix it. For a man who'd spent twenty years believing every problem had a solution if he applied enough control and determination, realizing he'd hurt the woman fate had chosen for him felt like standing on shifting sand.

But I needed to give her space, and then the mate bond screamed that she was in danger.

The memory of that moment still tightened his chest. He'd been pacing his office, replaying their argument and trying to find words to repair the damage, when something primal and urgent slammed into him like an avalanche. Pure instinct demanded he move before it was too late.

He'd shifted before he'd even cleared the estate grounds, his lion form tearing across the purple savanna with single-minded focus. Seeing that rogue lion chase Amara had triggered something savage and protective that went beyond rational thought. Someone had discovered her importance—maybe not that she was his fated mate, but certainly that she threatened whatever conspiracy was unfolding in Solaryn.

I knew this would happen. I told Jalen to protect her, but after she stormed out, no one knew where she'd gone.

"Hold still," Amara murmured, her voice soft but commanding as she dabbed antiseptic on the deeper scratches.

The clinical focus in her tone made him smile despite everything. "I'm sorry again," he said quietly. "For everything."

Her hands stilled for a moment. "It's fine. Everything's fine. Let's just focus on moving forward."

But the careful neutrality in her voice told him it wasn't fine at all. She was retreating behind professional walls.

"Amara." He waited until she met his gaze. "You're in danger. Someone is trying to harm you. I knew if they discovered your importance here, you would become a target."

Understanding flickered in her green eyes. "So is that why you didn't tell anyone in the meeting that I'm your fated mate?"

"Yes. I couldn't risk that exposure right now. Anyone that I care about, anyone who is important to me, becomes a target for whoever is trying to destroy me." His jaw clenched as the full weight of his failure settled over him. "I couldn't bear for that to happen to you, and it still happened anyway. You still almost got hurt today. I could have lost you."

The antiseptic bottle trembled slightly in her hand. "I'm sorry for rushing off like that. Normally I don't get so emotional. It's just... I've been through a lot these past three months, and I overreacted."

The admission cracked something open in his chest. Without thinking, he turned on the bathroom stool and reached up to cup her face, his thumb tracing the line of her cheekbone. Her skin felt impossibly soft beneath his fingers.

"Amara, you can trust me. You can open up to me, tell me anything. I'm here for you."