-Vaughn Blackmore:
Ryland didn't say anything.
Not after all that.
Not after everything I'd just thrown at him.
The room stayed painfully quiet, the light stretching lazily across the floor while tension still sat thick in the air between us. I could hear my own breathing too clearly now, slightly uneven from anger, from the ache in my ribs, from the fact that Ryland was still standing so close to me without moving away.
And God, that stare.
He was still looking directly at me.
Not mocking.
Not angry in the loud way most alphas got angry.
Just… staring.
Heavy enough that it made the back of my neck feel warm.
I scoffed quietly and finally looked away first.
Whatever.
I was done with this conversation anyway.
I shifted slightly, turning my body toward my suitcase near the couch, fully intending to walk away before I said something even worse.
But the second I moved, out of nowhere, Ryland extended his hand and suddenly grabbed my forearm, preventing me from moving away.
