Chapter 194
Chapter 194:
When the elevator doors slid open and Dallas stepped through, the air in the room instantly grew heavier. He looked exhausted, his skin still carrying that unhealthy pallor from the silver poisoning, though he wore his tailored suit like armor.
“You’re still staring at it,” he said, his voice rough as he loosened his tie.
I stood, my hands clasping together to stop them from trembling. “I can’t take it, Dallas. And I can’t stay here p>
He froze. The motion of unbuttoning his cuffs stopped mid-action. Slowly, he lifted his gaze to mine, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees.
“Excuse me p>
“I want to move back to my apartment,” I said, the words rushing out before I could lose my nerve. “The one you set up for me. It’s secure. It’s mine. I need space to breathe, Dallas. Being here, surrounded by your guards, holding deeds to properties I don’t want — it makes me feel like a liability. Like a pet you have to keep in a cage just to keep alive p>
𝖳h𝖾 𝗯𝘦𝗌𝘁 r𝗲v𝗶𝖾𝗐𝗌 о𝗻 𝘨𝗮𝗅𝗇𝗼𝘷е𝘭𝗌.сom
“A cage?” He stepped closer, the Alpha in him radiating a dark, oppressive energy. “You call my protection a cage p>
“Look at you!” I gestured toward his side, where I knew the blackened wound was hidden beneath his shirt. “You are dying because of me. Because I am wolfless, and I drag you into traps. If I live here, I am just a target painted on your back. I need to prove I can stand on my own p>
“You are my Mate!” His roar shook the glass walls. “You will stay where I can protect you. That is not a negotiation, Adella. It is a command p>
“I am not one of your Pack members you can order around!” I shouted back, tears stinging my eyes. “I don’t want to be another debt on your ledger. I don’t want to owe you my life every single day p>
Dallas recoiled as if I had slapped him. The fire in his eyes was abruptly extinguished, replaced by a wall of ice so thick I could no longer see the man beneath it. He had interpreted my fear for him as a rejection of him.
“Fine,” he said, his voice terrifyingly quiet. “If my care is such a burden to you. If the cage is so unbearable.” He turned his back on me and walked to the bar, reaching for the crystal decanter of whiskey. “The door is open,” he said, pouring the amber liquid with a perfectly steady hand. “Fly away, little bird p>
The dismissal was sharper than any knife. He wasn’t fighting for me. He was letting me go.
A sob caught in my throat. I turned and fled before he could see me shatter.
I made it to the guest room and dragged my suitcase from the closet. My vision blurred as I threw clothes into it — sweaters, dresses, anything within reach. I was suffocating. I had to get out.
“You’re an idiot,” a voice said from the doorway.
I spun around. Azalea Sterling was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed over her chest, her usually bright eyes dark with frustration.