Shunned By An Alpha, Cherised By A Lycan

Chapter 278:

I let out a bitter laugh, the sound hollow and pained. “You see me as someone good, someone worthy of your love. But I’m not. I’m not who you think I am.”

Her eyes widened, confusion flickering across her face. “Ryder…”

I stood up abruptly, pacing the room, my hands raking through my hair. The walls felt like they were closing in on me.

The walls were closing in again, the memories clawing at me, demanding to be acknowledged.

She was my light, my hope, my addiction.

And even if my past tried to drag me back into the darkness, I knew one thing for sure: I would fight with everything I had to keep that light from slipping away.

Because without her, I was nothing.

My head feels like I’ve just run a marathon, pounding with a rhythm that makes me want to punch something—or someone. My neck aches too, that annoying kind of pain you can’t shake but somehow find yourself leaning into.

Jason. The thought of him creeps in before I can stop it, and my heart skips, then clenches. He’s dead. I should feel relief. I don’t.

I glance over at the other side of the bed. Empty. Again. Ryder’s been disappearing at the crack of dawn these past few days, leaving nothing but cold sheets and silence. He never says why, and I’ve stopped asking. I tell myself he’s doing what’s best for us.

But it still stings like hell.

He refuses to mark me. Refuses. His excuse? If he does, it’ll kill me because of the blood ties I still have to my screwed-up past. Like I needed another reminder of how much my life is a dumpster fire.

Groaning, I push myself out of bed and shuffle toward the bathroom, my hair a ratted mess and my mood even worse. Seraphina isn’t here to nag me about schedules or whatever royal nonsense she thinks I should care about today. That means I’m free to wallow, nap, or stare at the ceiling like a broken doll.

Thinking about Jason? Not happening. Reliving my tragic past? Absolutely not.

𝖂𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖊 𝖎𝖙 𝖘𝖙𝖆𝖗𝖙𝖊𝖉: 𝖌𝖆𝖑𝖓𝖔𝖛𝖊𝖑𝖘ꞏ𝖈𝖔𝖒

But, of course, my traitorous brain doesn’t get the memo. The memories creep in anyway—calling the wrong woman Mom, trusting the wrong people, and Jason… Oh, Jason. My so-called brother. My betrayer. I’ve spent years living in a web of lies, and the fallout is still shredding me from the inside out.

I step into the shower, letting the water hit my skin like a scalding punishment. If only it could burn away the pain, wash my broken pieces down the drain. But it doesn’t. It never does.

When I’m done, I pull on a lightweight gown and head back to the bedroom, but Ryder’s still nowhere to be found. My mate, my husband, the man who’s supposed to make all of this bearable—gone. If he’d just mark me already, maybe I’d stop feeling like I’m half here, half lost.

And Layla? Still silent. Thanks to the damn Veilroot, I haven’t heard her voice in days, and it’s killing me. She’s my anchor, my wolf, and without her, I’m barely holding it together.

Days without her snarky little voice were pure hell. Give me one good reason not to celebrate Jason’s death, and I’ll give you a hundred reasons why I’m thrilled Ryder’s dagger pierced his chest.

A knock at the door snaps me out of my pity spiral. Definitely not Ryder. That man doesn’t knock—he storms in like the cocky bastard he is, boots thudding against the floor, smirk fully loaded.noveldrama

“Come in,” I call out, my voice laced with annoyance.

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