Chapter 168: She Can’t Stay, But She Can’t Leave
Bella lay still in the darkness, staring at the ceiling, her chest rising and falling in slow, uneven breaths.
Dante was asleep beside her.
His arm was still draped over her waist, his body warm and solid and unrelenting.
Like he knew.
Like he knew she would try to leave.
And he wasn't going to let her.
Bella swallowed hard, her throat aching with something unnamed, something dangerous.
Because she should leave.
She should slip out of his bed, out of this pack, out of his life.
She had spent years convincing herself that this was over.
That Dante had stopped wanting her.
That she had stopped wanting him.
But tonight?
Tonight had proven her wrong.
And that was the most terrifying part.
Because now—there was no more pretending.
No more running.
No more lies.
Dante still owned her.
And worse?
She wanted to be his.