"Leave."
Emerald's voice echoed through the study. Her chest heaved, not with fear, but fury.
The Rogue King didn't flinch. His eyes… those dark gold eyes that looked like they could see into her soul, didn't even flicker. He just stood there like he'd expected her resistance… like he'd been waiting centuries for this exact moment.
"No," he said softly.
"I wasn't asking," she took a step toward him, her eyes fierce. "You don't get to show up out of nowhere, kiss me without consent, claim me as your mate, then invade my mind like some cursed oracle. Get out."
"Emerald," he said, slowly, as if trying to be gentle with a wild creature. "You don't understand…"
"I said leave," she snapped, louder now. Her aura flared out, flooding the room with pressure. Her power surged high, the way only an Alpha's could, and the atmosphere felt electric.
He didn't move at first. Just looked at her like he was memorising every part of her, burning her into memory.
