Home / Werewolf / CAGED, CLAIMED, AND FATED / Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

All Chapters of CAGED, CLAIMED, AND FATED: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

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MAKE THEM COUNT

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 the first real emotion I've seen from him since we landed."She has early-onset Alzheimer's," he says quietly. "Some days she knows me. Some days she doesn't."There's pain in his voice. Real, genuine pain.I don't know what to say to that. Don't know if I should comfort him or stay silent.I choose silence.We drive through familiar streets. The sight of them makes my chest ache. This is my city. My home. I know these roads, these buildings.I could run right now. Jump out at a red light. Disappear into the crowd.But the child locks are engaged. I already checked.And even if I could get out, how far would I get? His men are in the vehicles ahead and behind us. They'd catch me in seconds.

HER ESCAPE

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 with obvious pride. "You can browse at your leisure and select anything you'd like."I step inside and my breath catches.The room is enormous, easily the size of my uncle's entire house. Floor-to-ceiling mirrors line one wall. The opposite wall features built-in wardrobes displaying clothes organized by color and style. There's a seating area with plush velvet sofas, a full bar, and what looks like a private fitting room off to the side.Everything gleams. Everything is perfect. Everything screams wealth.I walk slowly along the displays, my fingers trailing over fabrics so soft they feel like touching clouds. Silk. Cashmere. Materials I don't even recognize.Then I see the price tags.My han

WHERE ARE YOU GOING, LITTLE ONE

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 traffic from the street beyond.I burst through the door into the late afternoon sunlight...And slam directly into someone.The impact sends me stumbling backward. Strong hands catch my arms, steadying me.No. Please, no.I don't want to look up. Don't want to confirm what I already know.Because that scent, expensive cologne mixed with something uniquely him, is unmistakable.I've been breathing it in for the past two days. It's embedded in my memory. In the shirt I wore last night. In every space he's occupied.I know that scent.My eyes travel up slowly. Past the expensive suit. Past the broad chest. Past the strong jaw.To his face.Dante.He's standing in the alley like he was waiting for m

YOU ARE MY MATE

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOURThe SUV moves through the streets of Beverly Hills in tense silence.I'm pressed against the door, as far from Dante as the confined space allows. My heart is racing. My mind is screaming at me to do something, anything.He sits perfectly still beside me, staring straight ahead. His jaw is clenched so tight I can see the muscle jumping. His hands are fisted on his thighs, knuckles white with tension.The gold in his eyes hasn't faded. If anything, it's getting brighter.His wolf is right at the surface. Barely leashed.I need to get away from him. Need to run before whatever punishment he has planned becomes reality.The car slows.Traffic. We're caught in traffic.Cars packed bumper to bumper. The late afternoon rush in LA.This is it. Now or never.I can't let him take my life from me. Can't let him lock me away forever. Can't become his possession, his pet, his thing to use however he wants.It's either I die trying to escape, or I accept a fate worse than death

A FUTURE I NEVER CHOSE

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE "You're lying." I try to shake my head but his grip won't allow it. "You're lying to manipulate me, to make me stop fighting, to...""I don't need lies to control you, little one." His voice is cold. Hard. "I could have chained you up in my basement and no one would have stopped me. I could have done far worse than I have and you know it. So why would I need to fabricate a mate bond?""Because...because..." I'm stammering, my mind racing. "Because it's the perfect excuse! The perfect justification for kidnapping me, keeping me, refusing to let me go!""You think I need justification?" He laughs, harsh and bitter. "I'm Dante de León. I take what I want. I don't explain myself to anyone.""Then why tell me this now? Why not just...""Because you asked!" His voice rises, frustration bleeding through. "You wanted to know why you. Why I stopped at your cage. Why I won't let you go. That's why. You're my mate whether you believe it or not.""I don't believe it." I meet

I ALREADY BELONG TO THEM

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX"I'm not your mate," I say one more time, desperate to make him understand. "I can't be. The Moon Goddess wouldn't, she wouldn't match a Lycan Alpha with someone like me. It doesn't make sense.""The Moon Goddess doesn't make mistakes." His hand is still extended. Waiting. "And when your wolf finally wakes up, when she's strong enough to feel what mine has felt from the beginning, you'll understand.""And if that never happens? If I never feel this bond you claim exists?"His jaw tightens. "Then I'll spend the rest of my life proving it to you anyway.""By keeping me prisoner?""By keeping you safe." His eyes narrow. "Do you have any idea what would have happened to you if I hadn't stopped that auction? If some other alpha or beta or human trafficker had bought you instead?""At least they wouldn't pretend it was fate!" I spit out. "At least they wouldn't lie about mate bonds and...""I'm not lying." The words come out as a growl. "And I'm done explaining myself to

WHY DIDN'T YOU DEFEND ME?

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVENThe SUV pulls through massive iron gates into what can only be described as an estate.Not a house. Not even a mansion.An estate.Rolling lawns. Fountains. Trees that look like they've been standing for a hundred years. And at the end of a long, winding driveway, a villa that looks like it was transplanted directly from a European countryside.Stone and glass and modern architecture blended with classical elegance. Easily twenty thousand square feet or more.This is where he lives.The car stops in front of the main entrance. Before I can even process where we are, Dante's door is open.He reaches across, grabs my arm, and hauls me out of the vehicle after him.Not gently. Not carefully.His grip is firm enough to bruise. He clearly doesn't care if it hurts.I stumble as my feet hit the paved driveway, but his hand keeps me upright. Keeps me moving forward whether I want to or not."Dante, you're hurting me..."He doesn't respond. Just keeps dragging me up the f

YOU DON'T EVEN BELIEVE I'M MATED TO YOU

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

HE CUTS ME OFF WITH HIS MOUTH

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

SOMETHING STRANGE IS HAPPENING

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

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