I tried to pull away, trying to escape his grip, but his strength was overwhelming. "Matthias!" I screamed, my voice cracking with desperation, but he just stood there, paralyzed by fear, watching as Pierre took me away.
My heart shattered at that moment. The man I thought loved me, was willing to let me go to save his own skin. The realization hit me like a dagger pierced into my chest.
"Don’t worry, Raphaella," Pierre said softly, dragging me toward the exit as the room stood frozen in terror. "You’ll be much safer with me."
Tears blurred my vision as I struggled in Pierre's hold. I couldn’t believe it—my fiancé, my pack, the people who had promised to love and protect me, had all abandoned me in the blink of an eye.
I sat in the corner of the cold, opulent room, staring blankly at the large window, the moonlight casting long shadows across the floor. Pierre’s mansion felt like a prison. Every luxurious detail, every silk sheet and velvet curtain, was a mockery of the freedom I had lost. I wasn’t Raphaella, the strong, independent woman I once thought I was—I was nothing more than a caged bird, a possession.
I had refused everything he offered me. Food, clothes, comforts—none of it mattered. I wanted nothing from him. Every time I looked at Pierre, the man who had ruined my life, it felt like my heart was being crushed under the weight of his obsession. He could have anything he wanted in this world, but for some reason, he wanted me.
There was a soft knock at the door before Pierre entered, his presence filling the room as usual. He was dressed in his usual tailored suit, looking every bit the powerful Lycan King that he was. But in his eyes, there was something else—a vulnerability I hadn’t noticed before. He approached slowly as if I might bolt if he moved too quickly.
“Raphaella...” His voice was low, almost tender, but I didn’t look at him. I couldn’t.
“I’m not hungry,” I said coldly, keeping my gaze firmly fixed on the floor.
He sighed deeply, as if my defiance pained him, and stepped closer. “I didn’t come here to force you to eat,” he said. “I came to talk.”
“Talk?” I finally snapped, looking up at him, my eyes burning with fury. “There’s nothing to talk about, Lycan King. You took everything from me. What more could you possibly want?”