Chapter 259:

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He waved a dismissive hand. Sonny and Phoebe fled as if granted a royal pardon, shutting the door behind them.

We were alone. I could hear the frantic thumping of my own heart.

He didn’t speak. He simply propelled his wheelchair toward me, slow and deliberate. With every inch he advanced, the crushing weight of his Alpha presence intensified, making it hard to breathe.

I forced myself to stand straight, to meet his gaze. “Demetri…”

He didn’t let me finish. He reached me, and his hand—strong, elegant, and terrifyingly powerful—shot out and clamped around my wrist.

The next instant, he pulled.

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I cried out as I lost my balance, tumbling forward. But he didn’t let me fall. His other arm caught me, pulling me sideways across his lap, my legs draped over the arm of the wheelchair, my back pressed against his chest.

His arms closed around me like steel bands, trapping me against him. I could feel the rapid, furious beating of his heart against my shoulder blades, the tension vibrating through every muscle in his body.

“You nearly died.” His voice was low, rough, barely controlled. Not a question. A statement. A wound.

“I didn’t—”

“Two men. An alley. Kidnapping.” Each word was a shard of ice. “And you told me it was a minor incident.”

I opened my mouth to explain, to justify, but he cut me off.

“You faced that alone. You faced death alone. And you didn’t call for me.”

There it was. Not anger at the danger itself, but anger at being shut out. His grip tightened, and I felt the tremor in his arms. Not rage. Fear.

The beast inside him had been terrified.

I let out a slow breath, my hand coming up to rest over his. “I didn’t want you to be distracted from the council. You had so much—”

“The council can burn.” His voice was flat, final. “You cannot.”

I fell silent. There was no arguing with that tone, not now—not when I could feel his hands trembling against my skin.

For a long moment, neither of us spoke. The only sound was his breathing, slowly evening out. The crushing weight of his Alpha presence began to recede, like a tide pulling back from shore.

When his voice came again, it was quieter. Still furious. But underneath it, something that sounded almost like pain.

“Don’t ever shut me out again, Haven. I will tear this world apart before I let you die alone in an alley.”

I closed my eyes and let myself lean back against him, just for a moment. “I won’t,” I whispered.

It wasn’t a promise I could keep. But for now, it was the only thing he needed to hear.

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