Althea froze at his tone. For a moment, she saw not the Alpha King but the beast that ruled behind his calm mask. His chest rose and fell heavily, eyes dark and burning like embers.

“I’m not talking back,” she said softly, her voice trembling despite her effort to sound steady. “I’m just telling the truth.”

Gavriel’s face was still so dark, and Althea didn’t want him getting mad, so she leaned in and kissed his lips, hoping that would distract him from talking any more about ...