Fuming, M muttered a curse under her breath as she dragged her exhausted body back to the kitchen door. The wolf immediately began circling her, golden eyes gleaming with anticipation.


    So, what was the code again?


    Stomach growling and mouth watering, M wracked her brain, trying to recall the code she''d glimpsed a few days ago. She''d tried to sneak a peek from afar, but was caught almost immediately-she hadn''t managed to see much, and she certainly didn''t dare to just start guessing at random.


    After agonizing over it, the smell of food seemed so strong she could almost taste


    it through the door-though, maybe that was just her imagination.


    Forget it.


    She''d just try something and hope for the best.


    Remembering how obsessed Cossio was with Felicity-even going so far as to learn her favorite recipes―M took a wild guess. She punched in a string of numbers, figuring if she got it wrong, she''d just have to deal with the consequences.


    Click.


    The door swung open.


    M blinked in disbelief. Seriously? That was it? Felicity''s birthday? That was the code? Talk about obvious.


    Well, it worked.


    Who cared how simple it was-she could finally eat!


    Swallowing hard, she and the wolf squeezed into the kitchen together, heading straight for the massive triple-door fridge.


    Food! Food!


    She flung the fridge open. Inside, shelves were lined with pastries, fresh


    ingredients, and more food than she''d seen in ages. The sight nearly brought her


    to tears. Even though she was starving, she forced herself to stay calm.


    She reached into a corner for a small, delicate pastry.


    It was gone in three quick bites—she barely tasted it. As she reached for another, she felt a tug at her skirt. Looking down, she saw the wolf baring its teeth, growling softly, and nudging the bottom of the fridge door.


    Right. She''d almost forgotten about him.


    She couldn''t just stand here stuffing her face-after all, they were both sneaking food. Instead, she grabbed some napkins, wrapped up a few more pastries, and picked out a couple of raw, hardy vegetables that would keep for a while. For the wolf, she fished a frozen steak out from the bottom shelf.


    Once she was done, she carefully rearranged the vegetable rack and stacked more meat to cover the missing steak, making sure everything looked untouched.


    Satisfied that nothing seemed out of ce,


    She bundled everything up in her skirt and hurried upstairs with the wolf right behind her, closing the kitchen door quietly behind them.


    Safe in her room,


    She quickly stashed the food in her closet, then took the frozen steak to the bathroom to thaw and rinse it. After a fair bit of effort, she locked the wolf inside the bathroom to eat in peace.


    Only then did she start hiding her own food in secret spots around the room-just enough to get her through the next few days. Finally, she began to feel her strength returning, but she didn''t dare leave her room again that night. She was exhausted.


    When the wolf finished and curled up contentedly to sleep, M was back in the bathroom, meticulously scrubbing away any traces of their midnight raid. Only when everything was spotless did she let herself rx a little.


    She drifted into a quick nap.


    By morning, she put on her usual mask of calm, obediently getting dressed and following the maid to the garden, shuffling along in feigned weakness, eyes always hungry for food.


    Seeing Cossio behaving as usual, she finally let herself breathe.


    He hadn''t noticed.


    She still found it strange-Cossio brought her here and strictly controlled her food and freedom, yet he never actually locked her in her room. It was as if he believed she couldn''t do anything, couldn''t possibly escape. That kind of confidence unsettled her.


    But the truth was,


    She wasn''t nearly as docile as she appeared.


    Sitting quietly in the garden with him, M assumed the day would pass in the usual dull silence with Adrian, when suddenly, he reached out and took her hand.


    What?


    He led her toward the kitchen.


    The closer they got, the harder M''s heart pounded. No way. Had he already discovered what she''d done?


    She was doomed.


    Just as panic set in, he suddenly turned to her, his voice gentle, "Darling, I''ve been craving your rose cake. Would you make one for me?"


    Darling?


    A chill ran down M''s spine, goosebumps prickling her arms. Something about this man was seriously off.


    She opened her mouth to reply, but he cut her off with a quietmand. “I''d prefer if you didn''t speak."


    She understood.


    Now it wasn''t just her face she had to hide-she wasn''t even allowed to speak in front of him. What exactly was his game?


    He really was a piece of work.


    M stood in silence as he guided her to the kitchen ind. All the tools and ingredients were alreadyid out. She could guess what he wanted he didn''t just want a rose cake.


    He wanted Felicity''s rose cake.


    Good thing those seven years of marriage meant she''d spent more time at the old estate with Felicity than Lysander ever had. She''d learned most of Felicity''s recipes by heart-though her own versions always tasted just a bit different.


    Well, she''d do her best.


    Careful to keep her face averted, she slipped off her veil just enough to see, then removed her silk gloves. Recalling the steps Felicity had taught her, M worked slowly and carefully-her hands were still injured, so she had to grit her teeth through the pain.


    It took quite a while, but finally, the cake-topped with dark rose petals-was ready. She cut neat slices, reced her veil and gloves, and nervously offered a piece to Cossio.


    She was terrified that the vor would be off and he''dsh out.


    But Cossio didn''t move.


    M hesitated, still holding out the te, frozen in ce.


    "Darling," he said softly, "feed me."