My mind raced, trying to grasp the reality of the situation. I had always known I wasn’t the perfect choice for an Alpha’s wife. I was an orphan, after all, without the noble lineage that his family prized so much. But I thought our bond would be stronger than this.
"Matthias, I—" I started, my voice cracking as I reached out for him, desperate to find some trace of the man I thought he was. But he stepped away from me, shaking his head.
"It’s not personal, Raphaella," he said, his tone cold and detached. "But I have a responsibility to my pack. The Lycan King wants you. I can’t put everyone else in danger just to save one person. Especially someone like you."
Tears pricked my eyes, blurring my vision. "Someone like me?" I repeated my voice barely above a whisper. "I thought you loved me... I thought we were—"
"Don’t make this harder than it has to be," he cut me off, his expression hardening. "You’re an orphan, Raphaella. You don’t have the status or the power to stand against someone like Pierre Grassi. If I defy him, it could mean the end of our entire pack. You understand that, don’t you?"
I shook my head, disbelief mingling with the growing sense of betrayal. How could he say this?