Mated to My Fiancé’s Alpha King Brother novel Chapter 204

204 Chapter 204

Damien’s POV

I stood outside her door, holding a bag of takeout from that Italian place she used to love. Did she still like mushroom risotto? Or had

three years changed that too?

My hand hovered over the keycard. I’d stood here for five minutes already. Pathetic.

*Just open the damn door.*

I swiped the card. The lock clicked. Green light.

The suite was dark when I stepped inside. Curtains drawn tight against the afternoon sun. Only the bathroom light was on, casting a thin line of yellow across the floor.

“Sera?”

No answer.

She was curled up on the bed. Same position as yesterday. And the day before that. Facing away from me. The blanket pulled up to her

chin.

I knew she was awake. Her breathing was wrong.

“I brought food.” I held up the bag like an idiot. Like she could see it.

Nothing.

I set the bag on the table. The containers made small plastic sounds as I unpacked them. Fork. Napkin. Water bottle.

“You need to eat.” My voice came out rougher than I meant. “You barely touched yesterday’s food.”

Still nothing.

I walked closer to the bed. Stopped a few feet away. Close enough to see the tension in her shoulders. The way her hands gripped the

blanket like armor.

“Leave it on the table.” Her voice was flat. Empty. “I’ll eat later.”

“This isn’t a prison.”

“Then unlock the door.”

My jaw clenched. “You know I can’t do that.”

“Can’t? Or won’t?”

“Both.” The word came out harsh. Final. “You’ll run. We both know it.”

She laughed. The sound was bitter. Wrong. Nothing like the laugh I remembered.

14:14 )

14.6

<

204 Chapter 204

“So it is a prison. Good to know we’re being honest now.”

I wanted to argue. To explain. To make her understand that this wasn’t about control. It was about keeping her safe. Keeping her here. Keeping her *mine*.

But the words stuck in my throat.

“Just eat the food, Sera.”

“Fine.”

She didn’t move.

I stood there like an idiot for another minute. Waiting for… what? For her to turn around? To look at me? To give me something other than this cold, empty voice?

Nothing.

I left the food on the table and walked out.

The next day was the same.

Breakfast from that bakery near the pack house. Fresh croissants. The cinnamon rolls she used to steal from my plate on Sunday

mornings.

She was in the bathroom when I arrived. I heard the shower running. Heard her moving around behind the closed door.

I left the food on the table and waited.

Twenty minutes later, she emerged. Hair wet. Wearing the clothes I’d left for her yesterday. She walked past me like I was furniture.

“Morning.” I tried to keep my voice light. Normal.

“Morning.”

She sat on the edge of the bed. Stared at the wall. Didn’t acknowledge the food. Didn’t acknowledge me.

“I brought breakfast.”

“I see it.”

“Are you going to eat?”

“I don’t like being watched.”

She turned back to the wall.

I left.

Day four. Five. Six.

14:14

204 Chapter 204

They all blurred together.

Different food. Same result.

She wouldn’t eat when I was there. Wouldn’t talk beyond one–word answers. Wouldn’t look at me unless it was to deliver another knife

between my ribs.

Some nights I stayed. Slept on the couch while she curled up on the bed as far from me as possible.

Those nights were worse than the days.

I could hear her breathing. Hear her cry sometimes when she thought I was asleep. Hear her whisper things I couldn’t make out but

sounded like prayers or pleas or both.

I wanted to go to her. To hold her. To tell her everything would be okay.

But I’d proven I couldn’t be trusted to touch her. Couldn’t be trusted not to lose control.

So I stayed on the couch and listened to her break apart and hated myself more with each passing hour.

Lucas found me in my office at midnight. Staring at paperwork I hadn’t read. Drinking whiskey I couldn’t taste.

“You look like shit,” he said.

“Thanks.”

“You’re not surviving this.”

I stared at him. At my best friend. My brother. The person who’d stood by me through everything.

And I knew he was right.

“I don’t know what to do,” I admitted. “I don’t know how to fix this.”

“Talk to her?” He stood up. “Or maybe… maybe make your love burn again.”

The door closed behind him.

I sat there in the silence. In the dark. With the whiskey and the paperwork and the truth I didn’t want to face.

He was right.

The bar was loud. Crowded. Full of people living normal lives with normal problems.

I hated all of them.

The whiskey burned going down. Good. I ordered another.

“Rough night?”

The bartender. Young guy. Friendly face. Probably made good tips with that smile.

204 Chapter 204

“Something like that.”

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify