{"When your outgo exceeds your income, the upshot may be your downfall"}
"What?" Fennel fumbled over his words, his confidence cracking like fragile glass.
I stood still, waiting, my expression unreadable. Inside, Kayne, my beast, was already on high alert, coiled and ready to strike at the slightest provocation. His presence hummed beneath my skin, an untamed force of nature, waiting.
Fennel took a step back, and I felt it, the subtle shift of his energy as he attempted to push his hybrid beast's power into me, searching, demanding. But I did not yield. I stood as solid as a mountain, raising a single brow in challenge.
Again, he tried. And again, he failed.
Nothing.
A low chuckle rumbled in my chest as realization dawned. "How curious," I mused, tilting my head slightly. "How come you are unable to awaken my wolf, Fennel?" I let my words hang in the air, letting their weight sink in. "That means…" I took a step closer, watching as his jaw tensed, "you are not my mate."
