After Kael slammed the door, the room fell into a silence so deep it hurt.
I didn’t move. I didn’t cry. I just sat there on the edge of the bed, staring at the door like maybe it would open again and he would walk back in.
Apologize. Say he didn’t mean it. Say he wasn’t really angry with me, just with everything going on.
But the door didn’t open.
And the silence stayed.
His words echoed in my head, again and again, louder every time.
“You’re under me. I am your mate. Whatever I say is final.”
I clenched my hands in my lap, trying not to let them shake. I didn’t know if I was more angry, confused, or just… hurt. Maybe all of them. Maybe none. I just felt full. Like my chest was stuffed with something I couldn’t swallow, and now it was choking me.
I knew I had lost control. I knew I could’ve hurt them—did hurt them. That part was my fault. I hated that it was. I hated remembering the way Rowan had flown across the room. The sound of Kael’s voice when I tore into him.
But what Kael sai
