29: Not so beastly

Rune’s POV

I spent the rest of the day in my study, the soft glow of the monitors casting long shadows across the room as I watched her.

There were other tasks demanding my attention—piles of paperwork that needed my signature, alliances with other packs that had to be secured, lucrative businesses waiting for my investment.

Yet, none of them mattered as much as this. As much as watching her.

She lay on the bed, the tray of breakfast cleared away, a contented look on her face as she settled in with one of the romance novels I’d had brought to her. I watched her eyes dart across the pages, her expression shifting with every turn of the plot.

At times, she smiled softly, lost in a world far removed from the one I’ve trapped her in. She closed the book once, a grin spreading across her face, as if pondering the possibilities within those pages.

That grin, it made something dark and twisted stir inside me, a mix of possessiveness and desire. MINE.

She giggled at one point, the sound