All Chapters of Traded to the Ruthless Alpha: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

ReyaThe door opens the next morning and I stare at it for several seconds without moving. Killian stands beside it with one hand resting on the handle, his expression unreadable in the pale morning light.He hasn’t come close to me since the night before. He has kept his word about that, even when I woke twice from restless sleep and found him sitting in the chair across the room instead of beside the bed.Now he simply opens the door.“You can leave,” He announces quietly, “No one will stop you.”I look from him to the corridor beyond. No guards block the way, there is no one standing and waiting to stop me. My walls rise, I’m certain this is a trick.

KillianThe silence between us has changed.It’s no longer the violent silence that had filled the room right after she woke. Nor is it the frightened silence from the night before when every movement that I made seemed to put her even more on edge.This silence is quieter. But it’s not uncomfortable. It feels like a fragile truce that neither of us trusts yet.Reya sits near the open window with a plate balanced on her lap, eating slowly while I remain across the room. I’m grateful with every fork full that she brings to her mouth. She has refused to eat for most of the previous day and after everything that has happened, seeing her eat feels like a small victory that I don’t deserve to celebrate.

ReyaI didn’t know what to do with this kindness when I still felt so angry.That is the feeling that stays with me long after Killian stopped asking questions. He remains across the room while I finish eating. His attention drifts between the open doorway and the maps stacked on the table. He hasn’t moved closer to me. He hasn’t tried to convince me that Blackwood is still my home, and he hasn’t repeated that I need to trust him.Instead, he listened to me, and somehow that made everything feel more difficult.I had been prepared to argue with him. I expected him to tell me that running had been foolish, the I put myself in danger, and that wanting to search for the shadow blood settlements alone was ridiculous. Part of me almost wanted him to sa

SkylarBernice has been pacing for almost twenty minutes before I finally stop pretending not to notice. The sound of her footsteps have become a metronome for the tension in this small room.Her agitation has been building since this morning and I’ve seen her angry many times before, but this is different. Normally, her anger makes her louder, sharper, more deliberate. She enjoys letting people know that they have disappointed her. Now, she seems restless in a way that almost makes her look nervous. That catches my attention more than any raised voice ever had.I remain seated near the fire, watching her for another moment before finally asking, “Are you planning to wear a path through the floor?”She stops, snapping a glare at me as she huffs out, &ld

ReyaThe library has become easier to enter again, but I still hesitate whenever I cross the threshold and flinch at the faintest murmur from the other side of the room.Old habits didn’t vanish overnight, and there were moments when a quiet conversation made my shoulders tighten before I can remind myself that not every whisper is about me. The difference now is that I am trying.Killian hasn’t pushed me to return. He hasn’t suggested that spending time somewhere familiar would fix things or tell me I need to stop hiding. He has simply walked with me the first few times, remains nearby without hovering, and then gradually has given me space whenever I seem comfortable enough to be left alone. That small, steady patience has changed the shape of the library for me.