Chapter Eleven

~Carmine~

Watching her squirm was intoxicating.

Melody stood before me, trembling like a fragile little bird caught in the jaws of a predator, knowing full well there was no escape. It was amusing how she still had that flicker of defiance in her eyes, though. It wouldn’t last long—I’d break that soon enough.

Humans were pathetic, really. Weak, brittle things that shattered under pressure. She was no different, despite her brief brush with our world. The wolf inside her had been her only shield, and now, without it, she was just human—just prey.

I could hear her heart pounding, rapid and uneven, the sound sweet against the silence that surrounded us. She was trying so hard to keep herself together, to stand firm in front of me, but I saw right through her.

The cracks were already showing. She was barely holding on.

Good.

The thrill of control coursed through me, settling deep in my chest. Her fear—her weakness—made it all the more satisfying. I hadn’t even touched her yet, and she wa