When Silence Breaks

The days passed like a blur of gray clouds, each one heavier than the last.

Ryleigh remained in the Alpha’s suite, the black and gold walls beginning to feel more like a prison than a sanctuary. The bed, once so soft and inviting, now seemed too big, too cold. The meals that were brought up to her arrived like clockwork—warm, aromatic, perfectly prepared—but they tasted like ash in her mouth. The delicate clothes laid out for her each morning were exchanged again that evening, as if she were some precious doll being kept on display, too broken to move.

But no amount of comfort could fill the void that was growing inside her.

Damien was gone.

No updates. No messages. Not even a rumor of Derek.

And that was the worst part.

Not knowing.

The silence was louder than any scream.

By Wednesday, Ryleigh had stopped pretending to read the worn romance novel on Damien’s nightstand. She turned off the TV on Thursday and didn’t bother turning it back on. Natalia came by once or twice a day, checki