Jude’s POV
Shock rippled through when Timothy’s lips suddenly pressed against mine. The kiss caught completely off guard, and I braced myself for that familiar wave of revulsion that always ca when a man touched .
But it never ca.
His touch felt different—electric, wanted. Instead of disgust, I craved more. I wanted his hands on , wanted him closer. The shaless hunger that coursed through terrified , so I pushed him back, gasping for air.
"Sorry..." Timothy’s voice was soft as he pressed his lips to my forehead. "I shouldn’t have kissed you without asking first. That was disrespectful."
Respect. The word sounded foreign coming from soone talking to . Who bothered respecting the lowest oga? A ruined woman with a bastard child?
Yet here was Timothy, speaking of respecting . I tried to slip from his embrace—this hope felt too dangerous, too high to fall from.
"Please, just leave ..." My voice cracked. "I’m not worth it... you shouldn’t waste yourself on ... the moon goddess screwed up. This has to be so cosmic mistake..."
His arms tightened around . "No. Don’t say that." His voice turned fierce. "I want you. The moon goddess didn’t ss up anything. You’re exactly who I want."
But his words only made the fear worse. The more he insisted, the more convinced I beca that he’d eventually see the truth about .
"Jude..." He seed lost for words, which was strange for soone who could usually talk his way out of anything.
I could feel him struggling—holding tight enough to keep from running, but not wanting to hurt . Finally, he made a choice that stunned completely.
He released and dropped to his knees.
"What are you doing? Get up!" Terror shot through . If anyone saw the royal gamma kneeling before , I’d be tortured for it. They’d assu I forced him sohow, though we both knew that was impossible.
My trauma whispered all the ways I’d be punished for this scene, for anything that wasn’t proper.
"Please, get up. Don’t do this..." I begged, but he stayed down. He waited until my panic subsided before speaking.
"I never want to hurt you, Jude." He took my hands as I sank to my knees in front of him. "I swear I’ll never hurt you. Never raise my voice or my hand to you. I’ll cherish you and Harlow, love you both until I die."
My throat constricted painfully at his desperate, calm confession. His eyes pleaded with to understand, to listen.
"But if you think you’re better off without ..." His head dropped, staring at our joined hands. "If I’ll only cause you more pain, I’ll accept your rejection. The choice is yours."
Tears poured down my face. No one had ever given a choice about anything in my life. And now this man was handing the power to decide our fate.
"I... I don’t know..." I shook my head, choking back bile. "I want you too, but... I don’t deserve you." The truth spilled out. "I can’t be with you... I’ll only bring you sha. People will look down on you for having as your mate."
He listened without interrupting, letting purge the poison from my heart.
"You might not care at first, but eventually you’ll believe them. I’m terrified that one day you’ll look at differently." I dropped my head in sha.
He cupped my face, forcing to et his gaze. "They wouldn’t dare... and I’d never let anyone treat you as less than you deserve." His thumb wiped away my tears before he kissed my forehead again. "My feelings won’t change, no matter what happens. I just need you to let prove it."
His request broke completely. I covered my face with both hands as sobs wracked my body. He pulled into his arms gently.
"I don’t want to hurt you, Jude. I want to love you the right way."
This ti, I didn’t push him away. Instead, I lted into his chest, crying against him as I whispered through my tears.
"I want to co with you."
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