Alessia POV:
I severed the mind link instantly, cutting off whatever lie Santino was about to project into my head. I turned away from the kitchen door and walked back to the stairs.
I climbed the steps quickly, my bare feet silent on the carpet. I entered the master bedroom and pushed the heavy door shut. I threw the deadbolt, the loud, solid *clack* echoing in the room.
I walked to the center of the room. The nausea in my stomach was a physical weight, twisting my guts into knots.
I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply. I sank into my own consciousness, searching for the golden thread of the mate bond.
There it was. It pulsed faintly in the dark space of my mind. Three years ago, when we stood before the pack and swore our vows, that thread had flared bright like a sun. I had looked at it and believed it was my anchor, my only true home in this world. Now, looking at it, it just looked dirty. Coated in the filth of his betrayal.
I didn't hesitate. I reached deep into the core of my being and summoned the dormant mental energy of the white wolf. I gathered that raw, ancient power and forged it into a sharp, jagged blade in my mind.
I swung the mental blade down, striking the golden thread with maximum force.
A sharp, violent *crack* exploded inside my skull. It sounded exactly like a thick pane of glass shattering into a thousand pieces.
The golden thread didn't break entirely, but a massive, jagged fissure ripped right through the center of it.
The physical backlash hit me like a freight train.
My knees gave out instantly. I crashed onto the thick rug. My hands flew to my chest, my fingers digging desperately into the fabric of my dress right over my heart. It felt like someone had driven a hot spike through my ribs.
I gasped for air, my mouth open wide. Cold sweat burst from my pores, soaking the back of my dress in seconds.
I stayed on my hands and knees, staring at the floor fibers. But as the blinding pain slowly ebbed, a new sensation washed over me. The suffocating pressure that had lived in my chest for three years was lighter. My eyes snapped up, bright and fiercely clear. I felt the first true taste of freedom.
Downstairs in the kitchen, Santino’s body gave a sudden, violent shiver. But his Alpha senses were dulled by lust. He didn't recognize the structural damage to his soul. He just pulled Valentina closer, blaming the chill on the night wind.
I pushed myself up from the floor. My muscles ached, but my movements were purposeful. I walked straight to the massive walk-in closet.
I grabbed his dark gray silk pillow off his side of the shelf.
I unlocked the bedroom door, yanked it open, and threw the pillow out into the hallway like a bag of garbage. It hit the opposite wall and slid to the floor.
I slammed the door and locked it again.
That night, the doorknob never turned. Santino stayed in the guest room.
I lay in the center of the massive bed. The space beside me was empty and cold. I closed my eyes and fell into the deepest, most peaceful sleep I had experienced in years.
When I woke, the morning sun was streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting bright rectangles of light across the duvet.
I opened my eyes. My vision was sharp. My mind was completely clear.
I sat up and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. My gaze landed on the nightstand. The little plastic bottle of white suppressant pills sat right where I had left it.
It was time for my morning dose.
I reached out and picked up the bottle. The plastic rattled softly against my palm.
I didn't unscrew the cap. I stood up and walked over to the stainless steel trash can in the corner of the room.
I held my hand out over the open bin. I opened my fingers.
The bottle dropped. It hit the metal bottom with a loud, hollow *clatter*.
I turned my back on the trash can and walked into the bathroom. As I turned on the shower, I felt my heart rate speed up. The blood in my veins began to pump with a heavier, wilder rhythm. The three-year seal on the white wolf was officially broken.
"Game over."
