Zander’s POV.
“You think I want you?” I spat, my voice heavy with venom, each word laced with the bitterness I couldn’t contain. “You actually think I see you as a woman? As someone I could ever want to touch? Don’t flatter yourself, Aria. You’re delusional if you think I’d want anything to do with you.” My voice grew colder, harsher, as I stepped closer, my gaze boring into hers. “I wouldn’t touch you if you were the last woman alive. Not if the world was ending. Not if it meant saving my own life.”
Her face paled instantly, the color draining away so quickly I almost thought she might faint. Her lips parted slightly, as if my words had struck her like a physical blow. For a moment, her mask of defiance slipped, and I saw the raw pain flash across her face. A flicker of satisfaction rose in me at her reaction, but it was short-lived. That moment of triumph was quickly swallowed by the bitterness festering inside my chest, a bitterness I couldn’t seem to escape no matter how much I lashed out.
“This isn’t about *you*,” I continued, my voice sharp and cutting, each word like a dagger aimed directly at her. “This has never been about you. This is about duty. About power. About the things that actually matter in this world. You’re nothing more than a means to an end, Aria. A pawn in a game that’s far bigger than you, a game you don’t even understand.” I paused, watching her carefully as my words sank in, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t stop. “So don’t think for a second that I want you. I don’t. I never have, and I never will.”
Her eyes filled with tears, shimmering like glass, but she blinked them away quickly, refusing to let them fall. Even now, she was trying to stay strong, trying to stand her ground against the weight of my words. Slowly, she lifted her chin, her defiance shining through her pain. “Then let me go,” she said, her voice quiet but steady, each word deliberate. “If I mean nothing to you, if I’m just a pawn in your little game, then let me leave. Find another way to save your precious title and your precious pack.” Her voice cracked slightly, but she didn’t falter. “I don’t want to be here, Zander. I don’t want to be with you.”
Her words hit harder than I expected, a sharp, unexpected blow to the armor I had built around myself. For a split second, I felt something crack inside me, something I couldn’t quite name. But I didn’t let it show. I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of seeing me falter. Instead, I forced a cruel smile onto my face, the kind of smile I knew would hurt her more than anything I could say. My lips curved slowly, deliberately, as I let my gaze linger on hers.
“You’re not going anywhere,” I said simply, my tone calm but final, leaving no room for argument. “You’re going to stay exactly where you are-by my side. And you’re going to act like the loving, devoted wife you’re supposed to be. I don’t care if you hate me. I don’t care if you cry yourself to sleep every night. None of that matters to me.” I leaned closer, my voice dropping to a low, dangerous whisper. “You’re mine, Aria. And you’ll stay mine until I decide otherwise.”
I didn’t wait for her response. I didn’t want to hear whatever she had to say, didn’t want to see the fire in her eyes or the tears she was fighting to hold back. Without another word, I turned on my heel and left the cabin, slamming the door shut behind me with a force that rattled the walls. The sound echoed in my ears as I walked away, each step heavy with the anger still simmering in my veins.
As I returned to my seat, I tried to focus on anything but the tightness in my chest, the strange, nagging feeling that I had crossed a line I couldn’t uncross. My fists clenched at my sides, my jaw tightening as I tried to push the thought away. It didn’t matter. None of it mattered. I had done what needed to be done.