Chapter 24: The Aftermath

The room was silent, the air thick with tension, heat, and something neither of them dared to name.

Bella lay beneath him, her skin marked, claimed, ruined.

Dante was still above her, his breathing uneven, his grip on her unrelenting.

He should feel satisfied.

He had won.

She had fought him, challenged him, made him work for every inch of control—

And he had taken it.

Had taken her.

Had branded his claim so deep there was no going back.

But as he looked down at her—at the fire still burning in her golden-brown eyes, at the way her chest rose and fell in quick, shaky breaths—

Something inside him twisted.

Because she might be his in body.

But she wasn't his in heart.

And that?

That realization burned more than the mate bond itself.

Bella slowly opened her eyes, her lips parting, her expression unreadable.

Dante watched her carefully, waiting, bracing for the explosion.

And then—

She shoved him away.

Dante barely had time to react before she was on her feet, grabbing the first piece of clothing she could find, wrapping it around herself like a shield.

"Don't fucking touch me."

Dante's breath caught.

Bella was shaking, her body torn between the bond's pull and the sharp, brutal anger in her eyes.

"Bella—"

"No." She spun around, her hands clenching into fists, her golden-brown eyes blazing.

"You don't get to talk to me right now."

Dante's jaw clenched.

"You knew what was going to happen, Bella." His voice was low, strained, barely controlled.

Bella laughed bitterly, shaking her head.

"Oh, I knew?" Her voice shook with fury.

"Did I know you were going to force this bond on me before I was ready? Did I know you were going to take away my fucking choice?"

Dante's chest tightened.

"You think I forced you?" he growled, stepping closer.

"I think you took the one thing I had left, Dante." Her voice wasn't just angry.

It was broken.

And fuck, that hurt more than anything.

"I gave you time," he bit out, his blue eyes dark.

"Not enough."

Dante's hands curled into fists at his sides, his body tense, his wolf pacing inside him.

"You belong to me now, Bella."

Her jaw clenched.

"That's the problem."

Then—

She turned and walked out.

And this time?

Dante didn't stop her.

Because he knew.

This fight was far from over.