A chill crept down my spine as I met his gaze, a sudden realization washing over me—those eyes, once merely watchful, now seemed dangerously predatory. My breath hitched in my throat. The one who sought to enslave me stood right in front of me, and I had been so preoccupied with Merrick and my father that I had completely overlooked the possibility of Alpha Kenzo's presence at the ball.

"Stay calm, Thalassa. He can't harm you here. Not in vampire territory." My mind scrambled to anchor my ...