The words rang like a strike of thunder.
Ares' body seized. His breath caught hard in his throat, then ripped out of him in a guttural grunt as agony tore through his chest. His knees buckled, his hand clutching at his ribs as if they were splintering from within. Sweat broke across his brow in an instant, his teeth bared as he doubled over, fighting against the raw tearing pain.
"Alpha!" Nikki cried, panic twisting her voice. She dropped to her knees beside him, her hands flying to his shoulders, trying to steady him, her eyes wide with alarm.
Rhea stood above him, her shadow long and steady. Her expression was calm, almost too calm, as she watched him writhe. "That," she said evenly, "is what she felt when you rejected her. Only worse for you, I imagine — since you have a wolf to share the pain. She didn't.
