Chapter 45
Chapter 45:
“I do,” Dallas replied, picking up his fork. He looked at me, his expression unreadable yet intense enough to make my skin prickle. “My business is here. With my Mate p>
“Why?” I asked, unable to stop myself.
He sliced into his meal with precise, lethal grace. “Because Azalea made a scene today. Because the world is watching. And because,” he paused, lifting his gaze to mine, “if I am to protect you, I must play the part. I am here to be a husband, Adella p>
The word husband hung in the air, heavy and suffocating. He wasn’t here for affection. He was here to assert control — to remind me, and perhaps himself, that I belonged to him.
We ate in a silence far louder than the argument we’d had earlier. Every bite tasted like ash. I looked at him — the most powerful Lycan King in the hemisphere, fighting financial wars for me, threatening entire packs for me — and asked myself what I was. A wolfless girl with nothing to offer but trouble. A liability consuming resources she couldn’t begin to repay.
The shame of it burned hotter than fear. I couldn’t just sit here and accept it. I couldn’t be only a liability.
I looked down at my left hand, at the platinum band he had given me that first morning. It was elegant, expensive — a symbol of his power and my place in his world. But it was his gift, not mine. I wanted to give him something too. Something that came from me.
𝘑𝘰𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗵𝖾 𝗰𝗈𝗆𝗆uni𝗍𝘆 𝗮t
“I need to do something,” I blurted out, breaking the silence.
Dallas paused, his glass of water halfway to his lips. “You need to stay alive. That is your only task p>
“No,” I said, my voice gaining strength. I set my fork down. “This is a partnership, isn’t it? A contract. Even in business, both sides contribute. You’re providing the protection, the house, the war against the Hydes. I’m just taking p>
He set his glass down slowly. “You are the Mate. Your existence is the contribution p>
“That’s not enough for me,” I countered, meeting his gaze. My hands were trembling beneath the table, but I kept my chin high. “I want to buy the rings. Not the contract rings — I want to give you something that’s from me. A gift p>
Dallas blinked. A flicker of genuine surprise cracked his stoic mask. “The rings p>
“Our wedding rings,” I clarified. “The ones we’ll actually wear. You’ve paid for everything else. Let me do this. Let me give you something p>
He studied me for a long moment, his dark eyes searching mine, looking for the trap, the deceit. There was none — only my desperate need to salvage a shred of equality in this overwhelming dynamic. A corner of his mouth ticked upward, not quite a smile, but an acknowledgment.
“Very well,” he said softly, the sound sending a shiver down my spine. “Surprise me, Adella p>
Hours later, the penthouse was dark. I lay in my bed, the glow of my phone screen casting pale light across the ceiling.
“Surprise him,” I whispered to myself, a bitter laugh bubbling in my throat.