Chapter 236:Erik's Demand and Emma's Desperation

(Emma's POV) "I won't go." The words left my mouth with more conviction than I felt, my hands gripping the edge of the dining table. Erik's amber eyes narrowed slightly, the temperature in the room seeming to drop several degrees. "It's not up to you." My heart, already racing from our tense exchange, began pounding uncontrollably against my ribs. The breakfast in front of me—the meal I'd been so desperate for minutes ago—suddenly turned unappetizing. Erik glanced at his expensive watch, then ran his cold gaze over my borrowed clothes. "You have ten minutes. Go change." "I'm really not going," I insisted, digging my heels in despite the fear coursing through my veins. My lower lip trembled as I bit down on it, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill. I'd always considered myself relatively brave. Back in the Northern territories, as Olivia Chase's daughter, I navigated pack politics with confidence. But here, alone in Erik Blackwood's domain, with memories of silver bull