The room was cold, as always.
The kind of cold that curled into the bones, the kind that crept up the spine and whispered that this was not home — and never would be.
She had been here for over two weeks now and she barely hung on a thread of survival.
It seemed Alpha Hunter had traveled and left, because he had stopped inviting her to have dinner with him.
She was served her meal in her bedroom by the maids, given a bath once a day and left to mind her business.
All she could do was stay away and sleep.
It was exhausting.
She had requested to see Xaden, but no one was listening.
She felt her baby move, and then she gently clutched her belly.
Jasmine sat on the edge of the bed, one hand resting on her belly, the other pressed to the polished wood of the bedpost.
She stared at the door, tense and silent, as footsteps echoed outside.
Then — a knock. Soft. Hesitant.
She didn't answer.
