Chapter Title: What's Left of Me
Rosa's POV
I didn't even remember how I got back to my chambers.
All I knew was that Matilda's words followed me like a shadow I couldn't shake.
> "He found his mate… it's me."
She said it so effortlessly, like it meant nothing. But to me, it was everything. My entire world cracked with just that one sentence.
I sat on the floor beside my bed, my hands gripping the sheets like they were the only things anchoring me to this reality. My chest ached. A dull, deep ache that spread slowly… like poison.
Laura stirred in my mind, weak and quiet.
> "Something doesn't feel right," she murmured. "I feel… distant. But I still sense him. I still feel his wolf. Bryant… I feel him."
Her words were soft, almost confused. She didn't understand what was happening.
Neither did I.
But what hurt more was not the confusion — it was the silence.
He didn't say a word.
No message. No explanation. No denial.
If anything, that silence was an answer on its own.
After some time — I didn't even know how long — I stood up slowly. My legs felt heavy, like I was dragging the weight of my heart behind me. I didn't bother to change. I didn't fix my hair or wash my face. What did it matter?
I walked out, barefoot and broken.
I knew exactly where I was going.
His chambers weren't far, but every step felt like I was walking deeper into something I wasn't sure I'd survive. The guards said nothing when they saw me. Maybe they sensed something in my eyes — maybe they saw how close I was to falling apart.
I didn't knock. I just opened the door and stepped in.
He stood by the window, back turned, holding a glass of wine.
As if he knew I was coming.
As if none of this surprised him.
The moonlight filtered through the tall windows, bathing part of his face in silver. His jaw was tense. His posture still. Controlled. Emotionless.
> "Is it true?" My voice trembled.
He didn't move.
> "Matilda said… you found your mate."
Silence.
> "Bryant…" I said, firmer this time. "I'm asking you something. Just answer me."
He turned slowly, finally meeting my eyes.
And with the coldest voice I'd ever heard from him, he said,
> "Yes."
Just one word.
No hesitation.
No sympathy.
It hit me harder than any sword. My breath caught in my throat. I felt the floor shift beneath me — like the ground itself had betrayed me.
My lips trembled, and tears sprang from my eyes before I could stop them.
> "Then let me go," I whispered. "Let's end this. End us. That was the agreement, wasn't it? If one of us found their mate, the contract would break."
He said nothing. He didn't even blink.
> "You made me believe… for a moment… that maybe I mattered," I continued, voice cracking. "You said you hated lies — but you lied, Bryant. Every time you looked at me like I was someone special. Every time you touched me like I was yours."
Still… no response.
> "So now… I'm asking you to do the decent thing. Let me walk away with whatever dignity I have left."
A long silence passed. Then he spoke.
> "No."
I stared at him, stunned. "What do you mean… no?"
He took a step forward, gaze dark, voice low.
> "You belong to me, Rosa."
> "No, I don't," I snapped, through the tears.
> "You do," he repeated, calm but firm. "And I'm not letting you go just because you want it."
I laughed bitterly. "So that's it, then? I'm a possession to you?"
He didn't deny it.
> "Is that what this has always been?" I pressed, hoping for a flicker of emotion. "Was I ever anything more than a pawn to you?"
> "You're mine," he said again, with the same tone people use to claim land or victory.
I was done.
I turned and left, biting my lip so hard I tasted blood. My heart pounded painfully in my chest, my tears free-falling without shame.
He didn't call me back.
He didn't apologize.
He didn't even look away.
But I saw it — in the way his jaw clenched as I walked out — that something inside him was crumbling too.
Still, he let me go.
Or maybe…
He didn't.
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