Chapter 439
Mine! Ragnar let out a devastating, blood-curdling howl inside my mind, thrashing against the confines of my consciousness. The pain of the lie lashed at my chest, but I forced my face to remain an unreadable mask.
Adella physically recoiled as if I had struck her. The color drained from her face, leaving her pale and trembling. Her eyes, wide with disbelief and shattering heartbreak, searched mine for a punchline that wasn’t coming.
I didn’t give her a chance to speak. I couldn’t look at her for another second without falling apart. I turned my back on the woman I loved, walked to the waiting black armored SUV, and climbed inside. The heavy door slammed shut behind me, leaving her standing entirely alone in the freezing, tomb-like shadows of the garage.
The heavy door of the SUV had barely slammed shut before I forced my way inside, refusing to be left behind in the freezing garage. The engine roared to life, trapping me in a rolling tomb with the man who had just shattered my soul.
The rejection still echoed in my ears like a physical blow, leaving my inner wolf whimpering in the dark.
“Is it — is it really over?” I choked out, my voice trembling.
Dallas didn’t look at me. He stared out the tinted window at the blurred city lights. “It was a transaction, Adella.” His voice was ice, utterly devoid of the man I loved. “I needed to convince Gigi and the Elders. Your little victim act was the perfect pawn to secure my throne.”
“That’s a lie!” I gasped, my chest heaving.
“The deal is done,” he replied flatly. “I’m tired.”
The SUV jerked to a halt at the private entrance of Marshall Tower. Cole opened my door instantly. The cold night air bit at my skin, but I refused to move.
“Dallas, please,” I begged, reaching out to grab his arm.
The moment my fingers brushed his jacket, he violently recoiled as if burned. A ragged, agonizing hiss tore from his throat — the physical backlash of our severed mate-bond. Before I could process his pain, I was ushered out of the vehicle. The door slammed shut. Dallas wheeled himself toward the private elevator without looking back.
I wasn’t letting him go. I sprinted forward, shoving my hands between the closing metal doors and stumbling inside.
“Why are you doing this?” I sobbed, cornering him in the small space.
Dallas kept his eyes fixed on the rising floor numbers, his expression devastatingly calm. “Because I don’t want you anymore. The Goddess made a mistake. You were a game, Adella. And I’m tired of playing it.”
The words gutted me. My knees buckled and the world spun into a dizzying blur of absolute heartbreak.
The doors chimed open to the penthouse foyer. We nearly collided with Azalea. She froze, her eyes wide with panic, shoving a massive suitcase behind the sofa.
“I — I was just sorting winter clothes for donation,” she stammered, her heartbeat erratic.