Chapter 269

• Third Person’s POV
• Maddox forced himself to swallow down the storm of rage clawing inside his chest. His hands tightened around the worn leather of his wheelchair, but when he finally spoke, his voice was deceptively calm—almost coaxing.
• “Riley,” he said, his tone heavy with a false patience, “you’ll never find happiness with a man like him. You’ve never fought in the real world, never bled in its shadows. You don’t understand how vicious men of his kind can be. Alphas born into power—especially one like Lucien Duskgrave—don’t see women as mates, but as passing playthings.”