17- The Weight of the Bond

I sat on the floor for what felt like hours, my back pressed against the wall, knees drawn up to my chest. The tears had long since dried on my cheeks, leaving behind only the numb ache of helplessness. The world I had known—everything I had believed to be real—was shattered beyond recognition. I was bound to a creature of the night, to a man who despised me, and no amount of tears could change that.

The room felt colder now, as though Aiden’s presence had sucked all the warmth from the air, leaving behind only shadows and silence. My mind kept replaying Marcus’s words over and over again.

**Aiden is a werewolf. You are his mate. You are safe.**

Safe. I didn’t feel safe. I felt like a caged bird, trapped in a world I didn’t understand, with no way out. My thoughts spiraled, grasping for answers, for a way to escape the bond that held me. But every time I tried to think of a solution, I came back to the same haunting reality: there was no escape. The bond was unbreakable, and I was tie