NOVEL NEXT Chapter 13: Chapter 6: Bound by Hate
The tension in the lodge was thick enough to suffocate.
Every pair of eyes darted between Bella and Dante, their expressions ranging from shock to curiosity. The air was electric, charged with an energy that only the two of them could feel.
Bella's nails dug into her palms. This was a mistake. A terrible, cruel mistake.
"Alpha," Marco said carefully, stepping forward. "Are you alright?"
Dante didn't answer. He was still staring at Bella, his body stiff as though locked in battle with himself.
"Reject her," Zephyr snarled in his mind.
Dante's teeth clenched. He couldn't afford a weakness. He had built his entire life on power, on control.
And Bella?
She was fire and defiance, the one person who had never feared him, never obeyed him.
She was the last person he could ever accept as his mate.
His fists clenched, his lips curling into a scowl.
"This changes nothing," he growled. "You are not my Luna, Bella Santos. And you never will be."
Bella felt the words like a slap across her soul.
The bond screamed in protest. Luna whimpered in agony.
But Bella?
She lifted her chin, meeting Dante's rage-filled gaze with her own burning defiance.
"Good," she said coldly. "Because I would rather die than belong to you."