Chapter 4

The West was in the grip of an economic crisis, and an alliance with the South would benefit them greatly.

Still, none of it made sense to me.

“No, Carter… I don’t get it.” My voice trembled despite my effort to stay calm. “If you were so determined to marry my sister for power, then why come to me? You could have simply chosen her. Why drag me into all of this?”

The words spilled out faster than I could control, my chest tightening with every second.

He exhaled slowly, guilt flashing across his face. “I know. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done what I did, but…” He hesitated, running a hand through his hair. “It started as a bet.”

My heart dropped.

“A… bet?” The word came out barely above a whisper, though it rang loudly in my ears.

He nodded, unable to meet my eyes. “My friends in the pack dared me to date you. At first, I thought it would just be harmless… something fun—”

“Fun?” A bitter laugh escaped me. “You thought it was funny to play with my feelings because of a dare?”

My hands clenched at my sides as anger and hurt twisted together inside me. How had I been so blind?

“No. Not like that,” he said quickly, stepping closer. “I was going to tell you before things got worse, but—”

“But what?” I cut him off sharply. “You thought it would be even more entertaining to watch my heart break? To mark me… and then reject me?”

“Of course not, Luana.” He flinched at the sharpness of my voice, his expression pained. “I—I thought it would stay something small. Something meaningless.” His voice softened, almost breaking. “But then… I fell in love with you.”

The world seemed to still.

Silence stretched between us, heavy and suffocating.

And for the first time, I had no words.

I was completely speechless.

“Yeah… I fell in love with you.”

His voice dropped, softer now, as if the confession alone could mend everything he had broken.

“You were kind, luana. Gentle. Supportive in ways I didn’t even realize I needed.” He let out a quiet breath. “Every day, I told myself I would end things with you. That I would walk away before it went too far… but I couldn’t.” His gaze faltered. “I got too attached.”

A hollow laugh escaped me, sharp and humorless.

“Attached?” I repeated, the word tasting bitter on my tongue. “Is that what you call this?”

My fingers trembled as I lifted my hand, pointing to the mark on my neck.

“And what about this?” My voice rose despite myself. “You knew exactly what it meant. You knew what it would do to me—to us—and you still went ahead and marked me.”

He barely reacted.

Instead, he sighed, as though I were the one being unreasonable.

“Come on, baby, don’t make it a big deal,” he said lightly. “It happens all the time. My friends mark girls now and then—it’s nothing serious.”

Nothing serious.

The words slammed into me like a physical blow.

“I couldn’t just let you walk around with my mark while I went on to marry Michelle,” he continued, almost impatient now. “They wouldn’t have accepted that. So I did what I had to do.”

For a moment, I couldn’t breathe.

“Not a big deal?” I whispered, my voice trembling as disbelief bled into pain. “After everything… after all the pain you caused me, you still think it’s nothing?”

His expression hardened.

“Just shut up,” he snapped.

The sudden harshness in his tone sent a chill through me, freezing me where I stood.

I’m trying to be reasonable with you,” he went on, his voice cold and cutting now, nothing like the man I thought I knew. “But you keep acting like some naïve schoolgirl. Do you think you’re the only one who suffered? I went through pain too, Luana. So stop playing the victim.”

Each word struck deeper than the last.

I stared at him, my heart pounding, my thoughts unraveling.

Who was this man?

The one I had trusted… the one I had loved… where had he gone?

Or worse—

Had he ever really existed at all?

Had it all been a lie? A mask carefully worn, while I stood there believing in someone who was never real?

A slow, painful clarity settled over me, tightening around my chest.

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to speak despite the ache clawing at my throat.

“I’m not playing the victim,” I said quietly, though my voice shook under the weight of everything I felt. My eyes locked onto his. “You’re the one who destroyed everything.”

“You cheated on me,” I said, my voice shaking with barely contained anger. “You betrayed me. You rejected me in front of an entire crowd… and now you’re standing here, telling me you felt pain too?”

A bitter laugh tore from my chest, though there was nothing funny about it.

“You destroyed five years of my life, Carter. Five years. And all you can say is that it wasn’t a big deal?”

My fists clenched at my sides, every part of me trembling with the urge to hit him—just to make him feel even a fraction of what I felt.

A low growl rumbled from his chest, his Alpha presence pressing down on me like a weight. A cold sweat broke across my forehead as the air between us shifted.

“Don’t you dare use that tone with me, you ungrateful freak,” he spat, a cruel smirk tugging at his lips. “What exactly are you acting so entitled for, huh?”

The words hit harder than his presence.

I stumbled back slightly, gripping the edge of the window for support as his aura bore down on me.

“W-what do you mean?” I stammered, my voice betraying me.

His smirk widened.

He stepped closer, the sharp click of his shoes against the marble floor echoing in the tense silence.

“You’re just a pathetic girl,” he said coldly, “one that everyone hates.” His voice dropped, each word deliberate and cutting. “You killed your own mother. You put others in danger. No one wants you, luana.”

My breath caught in my throat.

He leaned in even closer, his hand suddenly gripping my chin, forcing me to look at him.

“I did you a favor,” he continued, his tone almost mocking now. “You should be grateful to me for the rest of your life, because no one in their right mind would ever love someone like you.”

His words sliced through me, sharp and unforgiving, like a blade driven straight into my chest.

“T-that’s not true…” My lips trembled, my voice barely holding together. “I—I…”

But the words refused to come.

He smiled then—a cold, cruel smile that sent a chill down my spine.

“You are…” he said slowly, savoring every second, “just… unlovable, luana.”

A pause.

“Accept it.”

“I cared about you.”

His index finger traced slowly down my neck. Once, that touch would have made my heart race for all the right reasons. Now, it burned—sharp and unbearable, like fire against my skin. Every instinct screamed at me to get away, to scrub myself raw until no trace of him remained.

“Stop… please.”

The words slipped out before I could stop them. I hated how weak they sounded—like a plea. But the way he looked at me, the suffocating weight of his presence, sent a chill straight through me.

“I still care about you, baby,” he said softly, as if nothing was wrong. “I spoke to Michelle. She’s perfectly fine with my proposal.”

My stomach dropped.

“What proposal?”

A cold bead of sweat slid down my spine.

He smiled faintly, like he was enjoying this. “Once they realize just how worthless you are, they won’t want anything to do with you. And then…” His voice dipped lower. “I’ll take you in.”

Disgust twisted inside me. I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to steady myself.

“I don’t want anything to do with you.”

He laughed—low and mocking, like my words amused him.

“Don’t be so petty, baby. How do you think you’ll survive with your husband?” His eyes darkened. “You’ll regret it. And when you do, you’ll come running back to me.”

His voice softened into something almost gentle, which only made it worse.

“I’ll be right there waiting. I promise.”

He stepped closer.

Too close.

Before I could pull away, his hand reached up, his nails pressing into my lower lip—sharp enough to make me gasp. Pain shot through me, and I cried out, struggling against him.

But my body wouldn’t respond.

It was like invisible chains had wrapped around me, locking me in place. His presence—heavy, suffocating—pressed down on me, stealing the strength from my limbs.

The same overwhelming force I had felt before… back at Dad’s office.

And just like then, I couldn’t fight it.