ADAM
The silence that followed my declaration was thick enough to cut through. No one moved. The fire crackled quietly in the hearth, a single flame popping and dying as though even it feared to disturb the stillness that had settled over the room.
But the heaviest silence came from Claire.
I didn't have to look at her to feel the rage pouring off her in waves. It was the kind of silence that screamed, the kind that bled in the space between breaths.
I could almost picture her—her slender hands tightening around my neck, nails digging in, wanting to strangle me. She wouldn't, of course. Fear wouldn't let her. Not if she loved her life.
For a brief, reckless moment, I contemplated mentioning the priest's words, the doctor's confirmation—that Sage was my mate. But I thought better of it. No sense in adding coals to the fire already burning in this room.
My declaration alone was enough to stir the hornet's nest. No need to set the whole place ablaze.
