Chapter 275

• His words triggered something deep within me, something I hadn't felt in all my years as a warrior. I had trained alongside the best in Carlo's pack, fighting until my body was battered, bruised, and spent. Yet his words held a power that went beyond any physical strain I'd endured. They made my knees weaken, revealing the undeniable truth in every syllable he uttered.
• Leonardo had always been brutally honest. He never bothered with comforting lies or softened truths. He spoke his mind without a second thought, a quality I'd come to respect even when it stung. And so, as my fingers traced the strong line of his neck, skimming over the vein that pulsed beneath his skin, I couldn't stop the soft laugh that escaped me. I felt like a foolish, love-struck teenager, giddy and unguarded.
• In that instant, I was struck by an unexpected wave of happiness. Here I was, in an unfamiliar realm, standing in a room that likely belonged to an enemy court. But none of that mattered, because with Leonardo, I felt stronger than ever. He was the cliff that kept the storming waves at bay, the anchor keeping me from being swept away.