Chapter 231

DEREK’S POV Sleep refused to come. I tossed, turned, stared at the ceiling until the moon slipped further across the sky, but my mind wouldn’t quiet. My wolf prowled in the shadows of my consciousness, restless and unsatisfied, gnawing at me like a persistent thorn. It was ridiculous. I had made a decision, a strategic one. Kidnapping the girl wasn’t personal—it was about Draven, about his land, about showing him that he wasn’t untouchable. And yet… Every time I closed my eyes, her breathing echoed in my head. That fragile, uneven rhythm. That sound of quiet fear and exhaustion. For the first time, I questioned myself. What the hell am I doing? Kidnapping rogues, rivals, spies—yes. That was survival, war, politics. But this? A girl who hadn’t lifted a finger against me? She was guilty of nothing more than agreeing to marry a man I despised. And that wasn’t a crime. Marrying rich for security, for comfort, for a better future—plenty of women did it. I never liked those kinds of women, b