Page 15 of Heart of the Rebel Mate

I take a step closer, but she doesn't move. "Cassian," I bite out, gesturing toward the space he left behind. "You're letting him get too close."

Her nostrils flare, her weight shifting slightly to one side. She doesn't speak right away, just watches me, expression unreadable.

And then?—

A slow exhale, controlled, measured. "And why exactly is thatyourbusiness?"

The question hits harder than it should.

I don't blink. "Did you forget what I told you about him?"

Her eyes flash, something sparking behind them—anger, disbelief, something hotter. "Don't talk to me like I don't know who he is."

"Do you?" I counter, stepping closer and lowering my voice.

Her fingers twitch where they're tucked against her arms.

"Because from where I'm standing," I continue, "it looks like you're letting himplayyou. Elara, you wouldn't come to gatherings like this, so how come when you do, it's with Cassian?"

A sharp laugh breaks from her lips, short and humorless. "Andyoucare about that?" The words come fast, her voice laced with something cold. "You care aboutme, or is this just another mission for the Council?"

The accusation lands like a strike, but I don't flinch.

"My work for the Council has nothing to do with this," I say, forcing steel into my tone.

Her expression twists, her gaze flicking over me like she's peeling back my skin, looking for the lie. "Doesn't it?" she murmurs, her voice lower now, biting. "You're here towatchme. To track my every move and word. To report back, just like they want you to."

Her scent shifts—still familiar, but charged now, laced with frustration, with something she isn't saying.

I don't blink.

I don't move.

"I'm trying to protect you." The words leave my mouth before I can stop them.

Her breath stutters—just slightly—but she catches it, mask sliding back into place.

"I've heard this word from you so many times, but I don't understand. Protect mefrom what?" she demands.

I inhale, slow, steady, the weight of the truth pressing against my ribs.

"The Council isn't just watching your project." My voice is quieter now, but no less firm.

"They're watchingyou."

The flicker in her eyes is immediate—uncertainty threading through the anger, hesitation creeping beneath her defenses.

She blinks, lips parting slightly. "What are you talking about?"

For a moment, I don't speak.

For a moment, I let her stand there, watching me, waiting?—

And then, I step closer.

Because I can't hold back anymore.

"The Council sees your project as a threat," I say, my tone quieter now. "They think it's too idealistic, too... progressive. And because of that, they've been keeping tabs on you. On everything you've done here."

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