Chapter 15 · A Dangerous Deal

"Who the hell are you?" Kael slams me back against the cold stone, forearm jammed to my collarbone. Not hard enough to bruise. Hard enough to tell me he could snap me if he wanted.

"You know who I'm supposed to be," I say. My head thuds against the wall and I don't look away. "Disgraced princess. Miracle girl. Pick one."

"Wrong answer." His grip tightens. "You walked out of a trial that should've melted your brain. That messenger? He didn't look at you like you were a princess. He looked at you like he'd seen a ghost. A ghost that could kill him."

Heat rolls off him. Ozone and old leather. We're too close. I can see the gold flecks in his storm-grey eyes. Can see his pulse hammering in his neck.

He's trying to do the whole Dominant Alpha thing. High Guard. Total control. But his frequency's leaking. Jagged. Anxious.

He's not just suspicious. He's scared of what I'm becoming.

"Maybe he just doesn't like ghosts," I whisper. I lean in. Just enough my chest brushes his armor. I let my frequency hum — not a push. A pull. Soft. Low.