Shepherd’s chest swelled, and it was clear from his expression that the man was incredibly pissed off. Rolling her onto her back, looming over her, his large hand closed over her lower belly. “I am not at all happy with your current mindset or accusations.”

Placing her hand atop his, Claire held his angry gaze and asked, “Do you suppose you are some paragon worthy of this child? You fucked Svana—”

His anger was growing dangerous. “I was trying to keep you safe.”

“Stop lying to yourself. Have you ever told her no, or do you do anything she wants just to please her? You enable her… and she thinks of herself as beyond reproach… because you worship her. I saw it myself! And for that perversion, she crafted you into what you are. A thing she owns: her unquestioning disciple.”

The villain roared right in her face. “Svana loves me!”

Claire was on some sort of high, past caring for the consequences of her words. “The same way you claim you love me… the kind of love that justifies infidelity and cruelty.”

The pain did not register, not at first, and considering the size of the Alpha it could have been a thousand times worse. The grip he had on her arm, the way he bent it back to remove it from his body, Claire ignored, reaching for his shoulder again, wanting him to hurt her.

The room moved, and a great crushing weight made it difficult to draw breath. His grip on her forearms left her hands almost purple, but green eyes held silver as she fought for the short stuttering breaths his mass would allow.

Whatever possessed him was cold in its rage, calculating in speech. “You will never speak of such things again.”

There was not enough breath to answer fully so she nodded her head and hissed the words, “It’s the truth.”

Shifting enough so she might breathe, Shepherd snarled, “You will be punished. Corday will die.”

There was no anger or fear in her expression, simply unfathomable disappointment. “Look at me. Look at what you are doing.”

Shepherd stared down at the woman he was hurting. When she brought her other hand up to cup his face, ignoring the black marks already blooming on her skin, he did not stop her, but neither did he enjoy her touch.

“I am only trying to help you see, to understand the point you are missing,” Claire whispered, seeing that she had shaken him badly, hurt him.

He was unmoved. “You hate me.”

Success in warfare is gained by carefully accommodating ourselves to the enemy’s purpose. - Sun Tzu

“I am trying to be your mate. A woman you only took because Svana was unfaithful and you were in pain.”

The furious ache in her other arm abated, Shepherd lessened his grip. “I took you because you were meant to be mine. I could smell it on you.”