**************
CHAPTER 23
~Jade's POV~
I exhaled through my nose. "That much is obvious."
She leaned against the edge of the desk, arms folded. "In the past, I faced something similar." My eyes narrowed, clearly not sure she may have.
She rolled her eyes and continued. "My ex at the time did not take kindly to the fact that I was mated to someone powerful, my husband."
I looked up sharply.
"He tried to harm me, and by that, I mean rape," she continued evenly. "Thought his father's Beta's position would shield him. It did not. My mate, an alpha, dealt with him to the brink of death, fully aware that his rank was on the line."
I clenched my jaw.
"The mate bond's possessiveness," she went on, eyes sharp on mine, "can do a great deal to a man. Even one of your calibre, Cold Strategist."
I sighed and looked away. That nickname reminded me of my loss of control.
