CHAPTER 81

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I sat still at the vanity, staring blankly at my reflection while the makeup artists touched my face according to Ryker's preference. My fingers fiddled with the hem of my dress out of nervousness but I kept my expression completely blank. It was the best way to hide the rage tearing me apart inside.

Just yesterday, I had announced my plan to become Ryker's mate ostentatiously, going exactly by his words and today I was preparing to be marked by him.

This would be our first private encounter since my discovery of the possibility that Ace could be alive, and I was willing to use all my cards on it. It would be my only chance.

Since Ryker's suggestion, I had tried to follow his demands without excuses, hoping it would get him to trust me but I didn't want to bet my all that it was working.

For someone who had lived his entire life as a rogue, a rejected species, trusting would be a little too difficult for him.

After the transformation, I was stripped and dressed in a seductive