"Submit to me, Elara," Liam ordered. His grip dug deeper into my neck, cutting off my air. "Give me the eastern borders."
I dropped my arms to my sides. I stopped clawing at his wrist.
"Are you listening?" he shouted, shaking me. "Answer your Alpha!"
"You are no Alpha of mine," I choked out. "You never were."
"I am your husband!" he roared. "I own you!"
I closed my eyes.
Deep in my chest, a dormant pulse thumped. A year of suppressing my ancient white wolf bloodline ended in a single heartbeat.
"Look at me!" Liam demanded. "Open your eyes and yield!"
I ignored him. Frost coated my veins, chilling the blood rushing to my head. The dormant power snapped awake, roaring through my limbs with the force of a winter storm.
"Get away from her, Liam!" Selene cried out from the corner. "Her skin is turning white!"
"Shut up, Selene," Liam snapped. "She is just playing tricks."
"This is no trick," I whispered.
The energy detonated. A shockwave of pure, freezing force erupted from my center.
It slammed directly into Liam's chest. His fingers ripped away from my throat. The blast launched him backward through the air.
He flew across the room and crashed spine-first into the stone load-bearing pillar three meters away.
A sickening crack echoed through the hall.
He slumped to the floor, hacking violently. Bright red blood splattered over the gray flagstones.
"Liam!" Selene shrieked.
She scrambled across the room, dropping to her knees beside him.
"Do not touch me," he rasped, shoving her hands away. He clutched his ribs, his face twisted in agony.
I stayed right where I was. My chest heaved. Rapid breaths tore through my throat as the initial surge of the awakening settled. The freezing power coursed under my skin, sharp and exhilarating.
"What did you do to him?" Selene yelled. Her voice pitched into a hysterical squeal.
"I defended myself," I said.
"You are a monster! Look at him, he is bleeding!"
"He put his hands on a Rostova," I replied.
I let a cold, hollow smile stretch across my face. The burning tension in my shoulders melted away. My tight muscles finally relaxed.
"He is lucky he still has his head," I added.
Liam spat another mouthful of blood onto the floor. He stared up at me, his eyes wide with shock.
"A white wolf," Liam muttered, staring at my hands. "The legends said your bloodline died out."
"The legends were wrong," I said.
"You made me believe you were weak," he accused. "You played the submissive wife."
"I played the survivor," I corrected. "My father warned me about your greed. He told me to hide my wolf until I was ready to rule."
"I am the ruler here!" Liam roared. He struggled to push himself up against the pillar, groaning.
"Look around," I gestured to the shattered doors and the blood on the floor. "Does this look like your kingdom?"
"I gave you protection!" he yelled, wincing as his ribs shifted.
"You gave me a cage," I shot back. "And you moved your mistress into the room next door. Now, I am done."
"The council will hear about this," Selene threatened. She wrapped her arms around Liam's shoulders despite his earlier protests. "You attacked your own husband. They will strip you of your title."
"Let them try," I said. "Pick up those torn papers, Liam. Tape them back together. Sign them."
"I will never give you a divorce," he growled. He wiped a crimson smear from his chin. "You belong to me. Your power belongs to me."
"Try to take it, then," I challenged. "Stand up and claim what is yours."
He didn't move. He just clutched his chest, his breathing ragged.
"That is what I thought," I mocked.
Selene tugged at his sleeve. "Liam, please. My pack can find land somewhere else. I don't want to be near her."
"No," Liam snapped at her. "I made a promise. I am going to keep it."
"How romantic," I deadpanned. "You are willing to die for her real estate."
"I won't die today," he spat.
"That is entirely up to you," I said. "The divorce papers are on the floor. The door is right behind you. Choose wisely."
"You cannot dissolve a mate bond with a piece of paper," Liam sneered.
"Watch me," I replied. "The bond has been dead since the day you brought her into my home."
"You are just jealous," Selene spoke up, her voice trembling. "You are angry because he chose me."
I burst out laughing. The sound bounced off the vaulted ceiling, harsh and entirely devoid of humor.
"Jealous?" I asked, wiping a fake tear from my eye. "Of what? His temper? His inability to win a fair fight?"
"He is a great Alpha!" she defended.
"He is a parasite," I corrected. "And you are welcome to him."
"You bitch," Liam growled, trying to push himself up again. His knees buckled, and he slid back down the pillar.
"Language, Alpha Thorne," I mocked. "You are embarrassing yourself in front of your guest."
"We aren't leaving until she signs the territory transfer," Liam forced out, ignoring my taunt.
"Are you deaf as well as stupid?" I asked. "I am not giving you the eastern borders."
"Selene needs that land!" he insisted.
"Selene needs a reality check," I retorted. "She is a stray. You are a fool for bringing her here."
"Do not insult her," Liam warned, his voice shaking with effort.
"Or what?" I asked, taking a step forward. "You will throw me against another wall? You will try to choke me again?"
Liam flinched. He actually flinched.
"I would rather freeze this entire castle to the ground than hand over a single blade of grass to either of you," I told him.
"You think you are untouchable now?" Liam sneered. "One burst of magic does not make you a leader."
"It makes me stronger than you," I pointed out. "Which is clearly all that matters in your pack."
"My pack will crush you," he promised.
"Bring them," I said. "Let them see their Alpha bleeding on the floor, begging for land he cannot hold."
"I am not begging!" he shouted. The effort sent him into another coughing fit.
Selene rubbed his back in frantic circles. "Stop talking to her, Liam. She is crazy. Let's just go."
"Get out of my hall," I ordered. "Both of you. Before I decide to finish what I started."
"This isn't over, Elara," Liam warned.
"It is for today," I replied. "Tomorrow I decide whether you keep breathing."
Before Liam could argue further, a rhythmic thudding echoed from the corridor.
Heavy military treads. Synchronized. Marching toward the shattered oak doors.
The sound vibrated through the floorboards, traveling up through the soles of my shoes.
"Did you call your guards?" Liam asked, his voice suddenly tight.
"My guards do not march like that," I said.
"Then who is out there?" Selene asked, shrinking closer to the pillar.
"I don't know," I answered.
The temperature in the room plummeted further, but this time, it wasn't my magic. The oxygen vanished from the air. My lungs seized.
Selene gasped, clutching her throat. "There is no air."
"Quiet," Liam hissed. His eyes darted to the entrance.
The marching stopped.
A massive, towering silhouette stepped into the doorway, completely blocking the hallway light.
