Valerie's POV
I didn't stop walking until I reached my room.
Even then, I didn't go inside immediately.
My hand rested on the doorknob, but I just stood there… staring at nothing.
Breathing.
Trying to steady the storm raging inside me.
It was strange.
When I had been a slave in this pack, life had been simple.
Painful, but simple.
I knew my place.
I knew my limits.
I knew what to expect.
But now…
Now everything was chaos.
My chest tightened.
"You're mine."
His words echoed again, low and absolute.
I clenched my jaw.
"No," I whispered to myself, pushing the door open and stepping inside. "I'm not."
The door clicked shut behind me.
The sound felt louder than it should have.
It also made me feel lonelier.
I leaned back against it, closing my eyes.
Why did it hurt?
That was the part I didn't understand.
Mike had always been like this.
Cold.
Dominant.
Unreasonable.
So why did it feel different now?
