005

DAPHNE

The days following that night were unbearable.

Every time I thought about what had happened.....the kiss, his touch, the way his eyes softened when he looked at me, I felt my heart race uncontrollably. For one brief moment, I had felt like more than just a purchased obligation. Like maybe, just maybe, I mattered to him in some small way.

But I was wrong.

It started the very next morning. Alpha Enzo avoided me entirely. During breakfast, he barely glanced in my direction. When our eyes accidentally met, his gaze was cold, detached, like I was nothing more than a stranger.

I tried to tell myself it was nothing, that he was busy with pack matters, that his distant behavior wasn’t intentional. But as the days stretched on, his aloofness only grew worse.

He wouldn’t speak to me unless absolutely necessary, and when he did, his words were clipped, devoid of the warmth I’d felt that night in the garden.

I couldn’t take it anymore.

It was late in the evening when I found him in his study. The large oak door was slightly ajar, allowing a sliver of light to spill into the hallway. My heart pounded as I stepped inside, my fingers clutching the hem of my dress for courage.

He was sitting at his desk, a stack of papers before him, his brows furrowed in concentration. The sight of him, so commanding yet so distant, made my chest ache.

“Alpha,” I began hesitantly, my voice trembling.

His head snapped up, his sharp eyes locking onto mine. For a moment, something flickered in his gaze, an emotion I couldn’t quite place. But then, as quickly as it appeared, it was gone, replaced by that same icy indifference.

“What is it?” he asked, his tone curt.

I swallowed hard, stepping closer. “I… I need to talk to you.”

He leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable. “If this is about pack matters, speak with the Beta. I’m busy.”

“It’s not about the pack,” I said quickly. “It’s about… us.”

His jaw tightened, and he let out a slow, controlled breath. “There is no ‘us,’ Daphne,” he said, his voice cold and final.

His words hit me like a blow to the chest. “How can you say that?” I whispered, my throat tightening. “After everything that happened that night… After.....”

“Forget about that night,” he interrupted, his tone sharp and unyielding. “It was a mistake. It shouldn’t have happened.”

I stared at him, stunned into silence. My hands trembled at my sides as I tried to process his words. “A mistake?” I repeated, my voice barely above a whisper.

“Yes,” he said firmly, his gaze hard. “Whatever you think happened between us, it meant nothing. I let my guard down for a moment, and it won’t happen again.”

His words sliced through me like a blade. I felt a lump rising in my throat, but I refused to cry in front of him. I refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing how deeply his rejection hurt me.

“So that’s it?” I asked, my voice trembling despite my best efforts to steady it. “You can just pretend it didn’t happen? That I don’t… that I don’t matter?”

His expression softened for a brief second, but then his features hardened again. “You’re here for one reason, Daphne,” he said coldly. “To give me an heir. Nothing more.”

The air seemed to leave my lungs at his words. I felt like the floor was crumbling beneath me, like I was falling into an endless void.

“Is that all I am to you?” I asked, my voice breaking. “Just a tool to fulfill your curse? A means to an end?”

He stood then, his towering frame casting a shadow over me. His eyes burned with something I couldn’t decipher.....anger, regret, pain? I didn’t know.

“You knew what this was from the beginning,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “Don’t make it into something it’s not.”

Tears blurred my vision, but I refused to let them fall. “You’re a coward,” I said, my voice shaking with emotion.

His eyes narrowed, his posture stiffening. “Careful, Daphne.”

“No,” I said, stepping closer, my fists clenched at my sides. “You’re running away because you’re scared. You felt something that night, and it terrified you. So instead of facing it, you’re pushing me away. You’re hiding behind this cold, heartless facade because it’s easier than admitting the truth.”

He stared at me, his expression unreadable. For a moment, I thought I saw a crack in his armor, a flicker of vulnerability. But then it was gone, and the mask was back in place.

“You don’t know anything about me,” he said, his voice like ice.

“Maybe not,” I said, my voice trembling. “But I know what I felt. And I know you felt it too.”

Silence hung heavy between us, the tension thick enough to suffocate me.

“Go back to your room, Daphne,” he said finally, his tone dismissive. “This conversation is over.”

I stared at him, my heart shattering into a million pieces. “Fine,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “If that’s what you want.”

I turned and walked toward the door, my vision blurred with unshed tears. But just as I reached for the handle, I paused.

“You can keep lying to yourself, Enzo,” I said, my back to him. “But you can’t keep lying to me.”

Without waiting for a response, I stepped out of the study and closed the door behind me.

The moment I was alone, the tears came. They streamed down my face as I leaned against the wall, my chest heaving with silent sobs.

I had thought, foolishly, that I could reach him. That I could break through the walls he had built around himself. But I was wrong.

To him, I was nothing more than a pawn in this cruel game. A means to an end.

But as much as I wanted to hate him, I couldn’t. Because deep down, I knew the truth.

I didn’t just care for him. I was falling for him.

And that terrified me more than anything.