ANNA’S POV

    “The guys are waiting for us outside already.” Sasha’s voice broke through as she stood behind me, fixing thest bit of her lipstick while I stared at myself in the mirror.

    My sapphire gown clung to me in all the right ces, the slit running high up my thigh making me look far bolder than I actually felt. My makeup was perfectly done, my hair pinned in a way that framed my face, and yet, no matter how good I looked, the mark on my neck stood out like a glowing red g. I swallowed hard, telling myself it didn’t matter, but deep down it did. It mattered more than anything.

    “I’m ready. Let’s go,” I muttered finally, straightening up.

    Sasha gave me a quick nce in the mirror. She looked stunning in her red gown, same bcut /bbas /bmine but a different shade, her slit shing as she moved. We both looked sexyb, /bhot, like girls who were supposed to be confident tonight. I wasn’t, but at least I looked the part.

    When we stepped outside, the sleek car already waiting by the dorm caught my attention. The doors opened, and two bguys /bstepped out, both in ck suits that hugged their broad frames perfectly. They looked like they belonged on the cover of some fashion magazine. I instantly recognized one of them. Liam. The same Liam who had been trying to talk to me for weeks, the same one who always found excuses to linger around me. The other guy was Caleb.

    “Damn,” Liam whistled as his eyes swept down my bbody /blike I bwas /bnothing but a prize he’d won. b“/bbYou /blook beautiful.”

    I forced a smile, even though bevery /bmuscle in my body screamed as if how ufortable bI /bwas with the way he was staring. His hand moved like he was about to hold me, maybe guide me to the car, but before he beven /bbtouched /bme, a voice bso /bdeep and familiar andmanding rang out.

    “Don’t you fucking dare touch her!b” /b

    I froze and turned, and there he bwas/b. Ryan. Coming out of his own car like a storm. My breath caught because I hadn’t beven /bnoticed when he arrived, but now he was here, standing there in a darker shade of blue that matched my gown bso /bperfectly it looked like it had been nned.

    He walked straight to me and before I could even react, he grabbed me to himself. bHis /bgrip was firm, strongb, /bpossessive, and the moment I tried to push him off, he only held me tighter. His eyes burned into Liam, his whole body practically daring him to try again.

    Liam stiffened, then dipped his head with the kind of respect that felt almost automatic. “Prince Ryan.” His tone was filled with recognition, like he knew exactly who Ryan was, and what he was capable of.

    Ryan didn’t answer him. He just stood there, holding me like I was his and his alone, his jaw tight. The aura rolling off him made Sasha visibly shrink back. I saw the way she frowned at him, ready to speak, but whatever she wanted to say died on her tongue the second she felt that raw power he carried. She couldn’t get ba /bword out. None of us could

    “She’s with me,” Ryan finally said, his voice low butmanding. “I’m Anna’s date tonight.”

    I jerked back against his gripb, /bring at him. “The hell you are,” I snapped. “You ignored me bfor /bthree bwhole /bbdays/bb, /bRyan. Three days! and then what? You suddenly decide you’re my dateb? /bAfter going out with another womanb? /bbAfter-/bb” /bbI /bcut myself off, anger boiling bso /bhot I could barely form words. “How dare byou /bshow up now and try to act like beverything’s /bbokay/bb?/bb” /b

    “I’m not going with you,” I added firmly. bMy /bchest was heaving, my bvoice /bshaking but steady benough /bbto /bbcut /bbthrough /b“Liam is my date, and I’m not leaving him dateless because you think you can bjust /bshow up and take bover /bbmy /blife bwhenever /bbyou /bbfeel /blike it.”

    Ryan’s jaw tightened even more, his eyes locked on mineb, /bbut before he could argue, Liam’s bvoice /bcame bin/bb, /bbsurprisingly soft/b. bIt’s /bokayb, /bAnna I’ll find another partner. You can go with Prince bRyan/bb./bb” /b

    ”

    41

    “What?” I blinked at him, caught off guard. My stomach twisted.

    Liam didn’t exin further. He just gave me onest look, then turned, slipped back into the car with Caleb, and a still–silent Sasha followed without another word. The car pulled away, leaving me standing there with Ryan, my entire body shaking with fury.

    “Unbelievable,” I hissed, finally wrenching myself free from his hold. “You really think you can just walk in and own me like this? You can go to hell, Ryan. I mean it. Go back to Sophie, or whoever the hell she is, because I’m so done with you. I’m so done.”

    I was still talking, words tumbling out sharp and angryb, /bwhen suddenly Ryan’s hands were on me again. Before I could fight back, he pulled me hard against him and mmed his lips onto mine.

    My eyes went wide. My body froze. I wasn’t a fan of PDAb, /bnot even close, and yet here he was, kissing me so deeply in the open, in front of anyone who could’ve been watching. His mouth moved against mine with a kind of desperate hunger that felt as if he had been starving for me.

    “God, Annai,/i” he groaned against my lips, his voice breaking with raw emotion. “I fucking miss byou /bso much.”