Citrine stared at the woman he’d just spent the best moments of his life with, forcing himself not to read her mind while dealing with the fact that she somehow truly didn’t trust him.

She’d let him inside her, let him please her, yet she thought so little of him?

She was his mate. She was his everything. He didn’t need any help to protect her. He would prove that with everything he had. He was a dragon. A strong one. And even collared, he could take on a wolf.

He supposed he just felt extra vulnerable because they’d just made love, because he had felt finally as if she’d fully accepted him, and he’d finally felt fully understood.

But despite his display before, despite showing her his strength, she still thought he would get his ass handed to him. Even though Citrine had been underestimated a million times before, this time it stung like no other.

He sat on the corner of the bed, pulling his pants on. As he was pulling his shirt over his head, he heard her clear her throat. He finished pulling his shirt down and looked over at her.

“I’m sorry, Citrine. I wasn’t trying to hurt your feelings.”

Oh hell, it was only getting worse. Now she was pitying him. A minute ago, he’d felt powerful, like a trusted protector. Now he felt useless in her eyes.

He’d spent all his time here trying to prove himself to her, but if he hadn’t by now, he didn’t suppose he was going to.

It wasn’t so much that he didn’t want knowledge about Bryson. It was that it hurt his pride as a man that she thought he needed it.

“Citrine, if I think you’re in trouble tomorrow, I’m going to help you,” she said. “I wanted to tell you in advance so you’re not surprised if it happens.”

His jaw dropped as he looked back at her. Had she seriously just said she would get in the middle of his fight?

“Listen,” he said sharply, hearing an unfamiliar rasp in his voice as he stomped to her side of the bed and pointed a finger at her. “Don’t you dare interfere in my battle. If you were hurt…” He turned away, wanting to hide any emotion.

What had he done to make her think he was so helpless? He couldn’t think of anything that would make it seem he would need a third party, especially the mate he was in love with, to interfere in his fight.

Not that he didn’t want her as a partner. He was sure she was strong. He admired and respected that about her. But this was his battle. His chance to show her who he was. He’d thought she would at least have some hope of him winning.

“What are you thinking?” Robbie asked nervously, and he hated this was bothering her. “You’re taking this all wrong.”

“How am I supposed to take it?” he asked, whirling around on her, shoving a hand through his sweat-dampened hair. “The woman I’m fighting for doesn’t believe in me.”

“It’s not that I don’t believe in you, as I said,” she said fiercely, unwilling to let the topic go. “It’s that Bryson—”

“I don’t want to hear it,” he snapped tersely. “Bryson this. Bryson that. Bryson is so strong. Bryson is destiny.” His lips turned up in a cruel grimace. “Why isn’t Bryson the one in your bed, then?”

Her brows lowered angrily. “That’s a low blow.”

He knew it was, but he was a little bit tired of being perfect, polite Citrine. All that led to was his mate thinking he was weak and needed to be protected even in a very important battle.

“I don’t get why you’re taking this so personally,” she said softly. “I’m just worried that—”

“I get it,” he said, putting up a hand and taking a deep breath. The dragon was roaring inside him, and he slowly forced it to quiet as he pushed all his feelings aside.

He couldn’t do this right now. Couldn’t get worked up about her lack of belief in him, because he needed to rest and stay focused for the fight of his life.

Up until now, he honestly hadn’t worried about the fight tomorrow, knowing fate would find a way. He was a dragon after all, the top of the food chain, along with maybe lions, and he didn’t think any wolf could ever win.

But now, with her sitting there staring at him, worrying her lip with her teeth, not backing down from her stance even when she saw it infuriated him, he felt apprehensive for the first time.

How could he believe in himself when she didn’t?

Well, from his parents to the oracle to many others, Citrine had often been misunderstood. There was power inside him, and he wasn’t allowed to show it, and he always had to stay in control. Someday, he felt it would all burst out of him, no matter how hard he tried.

Moments like this made him feel like it anyway.

“Would you have felt better if I were a jerk like Bryson?” he asked. “Willing to rampage and always take what I want?” He could even think of other dragons like that, and he’d never wanted to be one of them. He’d always seen himself above petty displays of uncontrolled emotion.

Now look where that got him.

“No,” she said, shaking her head and getting out of bed to go to him. “You’re perfect as you are. And as I saw earlier, you’re a great fighter. Look, I don’t know why you’re taking this so badly, but I’m just trying to help—”

He backed away from her, keeping one hand up as a shield. His other hand ran through his hair roughly, making his scalp sore. “It’s been a stressful week,” he said softly, letting the tension drain out of his shoulders. “And I have a big event tomorrow, for which I need to be ready.” He heard the formal note in his voice and hated the distance there, but right now he needed it.

Her expression fell. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

He knew she was trying to be helpful, but each word just felt like another blow to him. “Good night, Robbie. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

And hopefully prove to her once and for all that he wasn’t as weak as she obviously thought he was.

* * *

Robbie woke up the day of the fight feeling terrible about the way she’d made Citrine feel.

Why couldn’t he understand that just as he wanted her to be safe, she wanted him to be safe, too? He meant everything to her, and she’d just meant to try and help, but somehow she’d screwed everything up so they couldn’t even spend the night before the fight holding each other.

She didn’t blame him. She supposed it did seem like a lack of faith in him, but truthfully, she knew things about wolf culture that he didn’t.

Did he even realize just how incredible certain alpha powers could be? There was a huge difference between normal wolf shifters and the rulers of their packs. Depending on the bloodline, the powers could be truly incredible, and if Citrine was caught off guard…

She wrapped her arms around herself and tried not to shiver at the thought of any harm coming to him.

After she’d started to love him, after she’d spent so much time in his arms, allowed herself to build hopes and dreams with him, it would absolutely kill her if he got hurt.

She got dressed slowly, body aching from a stressful night of tossing and turning, and looked in her mirror.

Definitely time for a shower.

She took her time, washing slowly, trying not to think about hot moments with Citrine, trying also not to think about the fight.

All eyes would be on her today, so when she got out of the shower, she did her best to put on a little makeup, comb her hair into a respectable bun that kept her curls out of her face, and conceal the dark circles under her eyelids.

Then she dressed in a knee-length dress with short sleeves and a cute belt. She might be planning to help Citrine if he needed her, but with this outfit, no one would suspect it.

When she finally took a deep breath and walked outside, she heard the sound of many voices blending together into almost a hum.

There was a large clearing through the woods by her house that had been cleared even farther and stakes placed there in a circle for the alpha challenge boundaries.

It was a makeshift arena that was probably only a hundred feet across, and she knew with Bryson’s powers, that space would quickly feel smaller.

She sighed, wishing Citrine had let her tell him more, and made her way around the edge of the crowd, ignoring awkward stares as she found her mother.

Livvy looked her over with a flush of pride. “You look gorgeous.” She looked over where Citrine was standing with her father and Bryson’s parents, and they seemed to be going over rules.

Bryson was standing to the side with some friends, and when he caught her looking his way, he gave her a dark glower.

Ugh, how had she ever considered trying to be mated to that man? Even if he won, she didn’t plan to accept him. She was an alpha, right? She could challenge him, too. If it came to that.

Citrine had been so angry last night, so irritated by the thought of her helping him, that she was keeping it as a last-ditch option.

Citrine raised his head, locked eyes with her, then flushed and looked away, focusing back in on the conversation with her father.

She felt nervousness run through her at the thought that he was still mad. She didn’t know how to make things right with him.

Her mother gently nudged her. “This might not be any of my business, but did something happen between the two of you? He was so quiet and terse this morning. It was clear something was bothering him. And the two of you have been so happy previously…”

Robbie let out a sigh, folding her arms. “I upset him somehow. I was just trying to help him with the fight—”

Livvy sucked in a breath. “Oh dear.”

“What?” Robbie asked. “I don’t get what’s so offensive. I care about him and was just trying to help him.”

Her mom blinked at her. “You love him, don’t you?”

Robbie nodded.

“Does he know?” Livvy asked.

“He should. I mean I’ve been with him—”

“Not in a way that would nullify the alpha challenge?” her mom asked, alarmed.

“No,” Robbie said quickly. “I know the rules.”

“Good,” Livvy said. “Because there will be plenty of time for that after.” She winked, and Robbie grimaced.

“Ew, Mom, don’t.”

Livvy sighed, looking over at Citrine. “So how are you going to make things right with him?”

“I don’t know,” Robbie said. “I don’t see how helping him is wrong.”

“You don’t see how it’s wrong to basically tell him he’s weaker than his opponent? That you somehow just believe he’ll automatically lose?” Livvy shook her head. “Men want their women to have faith in them.”

“I have faith in him,” Robbie said. “But Bryson’s a monster.”

“Maybe Citrine’s a monster, too,” Livvy said quietly. “I’ve heard rumors of certain things… Well… I shouldn’t tell you. We’ll just wait and see. But in the meantime, you should get over there and tell that man you love him and that you believe in him, and let him go into his fight knowing his woman is behind him.”

“Of course I’m behind him,” Robbie grumbled. “But I’m also willing to fight at his side.”

Livvy put a hand on her shoulder. “I know, dear. And that makes you admirable. But today, this is his fight.”

Robbie sighed.

“The important thing is you love him, and if something were to happen, wouldn’t you want him to know that?”

She looked over at him, at his beloved, tall figure in one of his tunics, and felt her heart almost well over. “Yes. I do. Thanks, Mom.” She placed a kiss on her mom’s cheek and then pushed her way into the crowd, making her way over to Citrine.