‘And you didn’t?’
She stared up at him with defiance. ‘I’m too jaded for foolishness.’
He eyed her for a long moment, even as his guards shifted somewhere in the dark behind them.
He tugged her closer and angled his face so he hovered above her until she shrank and blanched at the fire in his eyes.
‘As for your deception,’ he snarled, ‘I’ll think on it and decide what to do with you. In the meantime, keep out of my way. I’m not good company, and I don’t do charm and smiles when I’ve been crossed. Truth be told, I am beyond my patience. Know this, however, I will not tolerate more lies between us.’
She nodded, acknowledging the gravity of his threat and the fragility of the trust they were building.
‘Any further discretion, and I’ll flay you and your family before the entire view of the flotilla. So watch your everyfokkin’ step. Never lie to me ever again.Claro?’ he warned, even with a twist to his sensual lips.
She jolted, thinking how true it was that there was often the look of an angel on the devil himself.
They stared at each other as his words hung in the air, a savage warning, an unforeseen promise shrouded with terror.
With a slight nod, she met his eyes with a steady gaze and squeezed his hand, affirming their unspoken pact.
‘Let’s get thefokkback in there,’ he murmured, an emotion she had difficulty discerning flashing in his eyes.
He released her and pushed the same hand through his hair, striding before her.
She exhaled a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding, relief flooding her like a rushing tide. She had expected his judgment to be far worse than this.
She glanced at his side profile as they stepped back into the warm glow of the wedding marquee, reading the weariness, rage, and despondency lingering in his expression.
She understood at that moment that perhaps the punishment she’d been dreading had probably not even begun.
Chapter 6
MAK
Mak loathed crowds and the cloying closeness of people.
It was why he had a private lodge on theSombra, by the lake, far from the others’ cabins.
More extensive than the rest of the Signet members’, because his Sauvage wealth had paid for it, the six-bedroom home had every convenience possible.
It had a full security detail of Sauvage strongmen, separate from the Signet security team, guarding it day and night.
While Mak was part of the Signet crew, he similarly adhered to his family’s legacy, business, and his Akkadian responsibilities.
The truth was that his blood clan had its own rules, traditions, and culture, based on the Akkadian order.
Of the Signet pack, he, Kaal, Bone, and Boaz were members of his ancient tribe that until a decade ago had been inconsequential and tiny.
Now, due to the Sauvage dynasty, their collective influence had grown, and many Akkadian houses revived and thrived as a result.
Now more than ever, as the guardian of this legacy, he had to uphold its tenets and protect them for the sake of his people.
Still, he refused to live on board the Sauvage ark ship, for it was a bore for one, and he preferred the high adrenaline ambiance of theSombra.
Additionally, because he was a Signet pack member and loyal to his fellow wolves.
Regardless, he despised the forced smiles and fake pleasantries required of him.
Especially on a day like this, when the room was filled with a sea of fake smiles and made-up faces.
