로그인CHAPTER THIRTY-THREEThe car ride is silent at first.Just the hum of the engine. The blur of streetlights passing by. The sound of my own breathing.Then I explode."I'm tired!" The words burst out of me like they've been building pressure for days. "I'm tired of all of this, Dante! I don't care if you lock me up. I don't care if you kill me right now. I don't care if you sell me. I don't care what you do to me anymore!"His hands tighten on the steering wheel. I watch his knuckles turn white from the pressure.Good. Let him be angry. I'm past caring."But I think it's about time you understand something," I continue, my voice rising higher with each word. "There are certain things you don't force. You don't force love. You don't force desire. You don't force connection or feelings or any of it. Because at the end of the day, I don't belong to you and you don't belong to me. We are two separate individuals. You are a stranger to me, and I don't know why you're just...just all over me
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO"Elena?" Miguel's voice cuts through the distance between us. "Who is this?"I can't answer. Can't form words. Can't do anything but stand there frozen between the two men who represent completely different worlds.Miguel reaches us, his eyes moving from me to Dante and back again. The confusion on his face is morphing into something else. Something darker."Who is this person?" he demands, his voice rising slightly. "And why is he holding you like that?"Dante's arm tightens around my waist. Pulling me closer. Making a statement without saying a word."I've been trying to reach you for two days, Elena," Miguel continues, stepping closer. "Two days. No texts. No calls. Nothing. Your best friend Ariel has been losing her mind trying to contact you too. Where the hell have you been?"My throat closes up.Two days. Has it really only been two days since Dante brought me to California? It feels like a lifetime."I've been..." I start, but Dante leans down and kisses me.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONEThe dining hall is warm. Soft. Almost inviting.His mother pours tea with practiced elegance, steam rising from the delicate porcelain cup. She smiles at me, genuinely smiles, like I'm someone worth smiling at.It's unsettling."So tell me, Elena," she says, setting down the teapot. "Where are you from? What family do you come from?"I glance at Dante. He's sitting across from me, his expression unreadable as he cuts into his food.This is a test. It has to be.She asked me this same question earlier. Called me trash when I answered. Demanded Dante get rid of me.But she doesn't remember that.Her eyes are genuinely curious. Kind, even.Do I tell her the truth and risk her remembering? Risk her turning cold again?Or do I lie?"I..." I pause, my fingers tightening around my napkin. "I don't have a family. Not anymore. My uncle raised me, but he's... he's not someone I maintain contact with."She nods, like this is perfectly reasonable."And your pack?" she asks gent
Chapter 30I barely recognized myself.The girl in the mirror looked composed. Elegant. Like she belonged in this house, in this life.I didn’t.I smoothed my hands over the fabric of the dress, trying to ignore the uneasiness crawling under my skin. Something about tonight felt wrong, and I could not explain why.Maybe it was him.Maybe it was everything.I took a breath and stepped out of the room.The hallway stretched out in silence, heavy and suffocating. My heels clicked softly against the floor as I walked toward the staircase.And then I saw him.Adrian.He stood at the top of the stairs, one hand resting lazily on the railing, like he had all the time in the world. Like he had been waiting.His eyes found me instantly.They moved slowly over my body, assessing, calculating.Then his lips curved slightly.“You look…” he paused, tilting his head as if reconsidering his words, “acceptable.”I almost scoffed.That was the closest thing to a compliment I was ever going to get from
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINEI stand under the shower until the water runs cold.Letting it wash away the tears. The humiliation. The confusion churning in my stomach.You can't have it both ways, Elena.His words keep echoing in my head. Infuriating because they're true. Because he caught me in a trap of my own making.I don't believe the bond exists. But I wanted him to claim me anyway.Hypocrite.I turn off the water and wrap myself in one of the plush towels hanging nearby. The bathroom is all marble and gold fixtures, excessive in a way that would normally make me uncomfortable.Right now, I barely notice it.I'm halfway through drying my hair when I hear it.Knock. Knock. Knock.Three sharp raps on the bedroom door.I freeze.It has to be Dante. Who else would it be?Coming to gloat, probably. To twist the knife a little deeper. To remind me how powerless I am here.I don't move toward the door. Don't answer.Just stand there in the bathroom, towel wrapped around me, waiting.Knock. Knoc
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT We're alone in the foyer.Dante still hasn't released my arm.The silence stretches. Heavy. Suffocating.Then I explode."You didn't defend me." The words burst out. "She called me trash. Said I was worthless. Told you to get rid of me. And you just... you just stood there."He finally releases my arm and turns to look at me. His expression is still maddeningly calm."What did you expect me to say?" His tone is genuinely curious."Anything!" My voice is rising, I can't help it. "You claim I'm your mate. You said the bond was real. You said I belonged to you. But you couldn't even tell your own mother that?""And why would I do that?" He tilts his head slightly. "When you've made it abundantly clear you don't believe the bond exists?"The question catches me off guard."That's...that's not...""You've called me a liar," he continues, his voice still that infuriating calm. "You've said I'm delusional. You've insisted the mate bond is fake. You jumped out of a movin
CHAPTER TWENTY - THREEI take the stairs two at a time, my flats slapping against the concrete. The sound echoes in the enclosed space, but I don't care. I just need to get out. Get away.The door at the bottom opens onto an alley behind the building. Dumpsters. Delivery trucks. The sounds of traff
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWOIsabella leads me deeper into the store, past displays of elegant dresses and perfectly styled mannequins, through a doorway marked "Private" in discreet gold lettering.Beyond it is something else entirely."This is the VIP chamber," she announces, gesturing around the space wit
CHAPTER TWENTY - ONE"The store is in Beverly Hills," Dante says, breaking the silence. "De León Couture. My mother started it forty years ago. It's... exclusive."Exclusive. Of course it is."Your mother," I say slowly. "The flight attendant mentioned her. Said she's sick?"His jaw tightens. It's
CHAPTER TWENTY"You moan so beautifully, Elena."His voice is dark. Hungry. He's looking at me like he wants to devour every part of me, piece by piece.I bite my lip hard, trying to stop any more sounds from escaping. Trying to regain some shred of control over my treacherous body.His hands move