Then his hand moved faster than my eyes could follow. The slap landed hard against my cheek. My head snapped to the side, the sting burning through my skin. The force sent me stumbling back until I hit the edge of the cabinet and fell to the floor.
For a moment, the world went silent.
Pain bloomed across my face, hot and humiliating. The taste of blood touched my tongue, sharp and metallic.
I looked up at him, at the man I had once believed was my destiny, and saw nothing but fury in his eyes. No remorse. No love.
Hannah gasped dramatically, rushing toward him. “Alpha, please!” she cried. “This is my fault. I shouldn’t have tried to help her. I didn’t mean to upset her!”
I knew her act too well. The trembling lip, the tears, the soft voice, it was all a performance.
And Jeremiah fell for it.
He turned to me, rage flaring again. “Look what you’ve done! You terrified her!”
“I can’t believe you,” I uttered, my voice breaking. “You’re really protecting another she-wolf over the mother of your dead daughter—“
“I said, enough!” he cut me off again. “I’ve had enough of your drama, Zera! You’re losing control, and I won’t let you destroy everything because of your bitterness.”
“I’m your mate!” I shouted, my voice raw. “Your Luna!”
“You’re acting like a rabid omega,” he snarled. “Until you can control yourself, you’ll stay locked in this room. That’s an order.”
“No,” I whispered, shaking my head as panic gripped me. “Alpha, please. Don’t do this.”
He didn’t even look at me as he called through the mind link, summoning his guards. Two wolf warriors entered within seconds, their heads bowed.
“Confine her to the bedroom,” Jeremiah ordered coldly. “No one goes in or out unless I say so.”
“Alpha—”
“Now!”
The warriors hesitated, but one look from him was enough. They grabbed my arms, dragging me backward as I struggled.
“Alpha!” I screamed, my voice breaking. “You can’t do this! You can’t—”
He didn’t respond.
Then the door slammed shut, locking me inside.
At first, I screamed. I shouted his name over and over until my throat burned. I pounded my fists against the door until my knuckles split open. But no one came.
The guards outside didn’t move, didn’t speak.
Hours passed, maybe days, I couldn’t tell anymore. The light outside the window shifted from gold to gray to darkness again. There was no food. No water.
Only silence.
I tried mind-linking him. Alpha, please. Please, just talk to me.
Nothing.