Chapter 233

Chapter 233
Elsa

Drake's grip on my waist was surprisingly strong for someone with a fever. I struggled against him, my body twisting frantically like a trapped animal. Goddamn Alpha strength—even sick, he overpowered me without effort.

"Let go of me, you fucking asshole," I hissed, my nails digging into his forearms as I tried to pry his hands off.

"Look at me," he demanded, his voice rough with illness but commanding nonetheless. He released my waist only to grab both my wrists, forcing me to face him.

I stubbornly closed my eyes, my heart hammering so hard I could feel it in my throat. A storm of emotions churned inside me—rage, hurt, confusion, and that goddamn yearning that never seemed to die no matter how badly he treated me.

I couldn't bear to look at him—not when I was this raw, this exposed. Drake had always been a contradiction: cold one moment, possessive the next. He'd ignore me for weeks, then act like he couldn't live without me. And through it all, there was Vera, always by his side while I remained in the fucking shadows like his dirty little secret.

"Elsa," he growled, his thumbs pressing into my pulse points hard enough to leave bruises. "Open your goddamn eyes."

"Fine." I snapped my eyes open, tears spilling over my lashes and streaming down my cheeks. I didn't bother wiping them away—let him see what he'd done to me. "Happy now? What the hell do you want from me, Drake? Haven't you taken enough? Do you get some sick pleasure from watching me fall apart over and over?"

Something flickered in his expression—pain, perhaps, or frustration. My wolf sensed the shift, perking up inside me despite my attempts to silence her.

"I never liked Vera."

The words hung in the air between us, so unexpected that I couldn't process them at first. My mouth opened and closed, no sound coming out.

"What?" I finally managed, my voice barely above a whisper, my fingers curling into tight fists at my sides.

"I never liked Vera," he repeated, his golden eyes boring into mine. "Not once. Not ever."

I yanked my hands away with such force that I nearly lost my balance, and this time he let me go. "Bullshit," I spat, backing away until my legs hit the bed. My whole body shook with rage. "That's complete bullshit. I've seen you with her. Everyone has. The way you look at her, touch her—Christ, you practically parade her around like she's your fucking trophy wife!"

"It was all for show," Drake interrupted, his voice low and intense despite his obvious exhaustion. "Baby, look at me. Listen to what I'm saying."

"Don't call me that," I snapped, wrapping my arms around myself protectively, my fingernails digging into my own skin hard enough to leave crescent marks. "Don't you dare call me that after everything you've put me through. I'm not your 'baby'—I'm not even sure what the hell I am to you anymore."

Drake sat up straighter, wincing slightly. His fever had given his normally tan skin a flushed appearance, and sweat beaded along his hairline. But his eyes remained sharp, focused entirely on me.

"I let her follow me around because of what you did to me," he said, each word deliberate and heavy.

"What I did to you?" I couldn't help the incredulous laugh that escaped me—a harsh, brittle sound that scraped my throat raw.

"You're not thinking clearly," Drake's jaw tightened so hard I could see the muscle jumping under his skin. He released my wrists and leaned back slightly. "Think about it. When did I start pulling away from you? When did things really change between us?"

I stared at him, my heart pounding painfully in my chest, my breathing coming in short, angry bursts. When had it changed? There had been so many moments—the miscarriage, Vera's arrival at Stone Enterprises, countless public events where he'd pretended not to know me... My mind flashed through a decade of memories, each one more painful than the last.

"You tell me," I replied coldly, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper as I stopped pacing and faced him squarely. "Mr. Stone has always treated me with professional distance, hasn't he? That's the goddamn role you assigned me."

Drake's patience snapped like a dry twig. In one fluid motion, he grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me down, crushing his mouth against mine in a bruising kiss that was more punishment than passion. I gasped against his lips, my body betraying me with an instant flare of heat that made me hate myself almost as much as I hated him in that moment.

"I started pushing you away a year ago," he said when he finally released me, his breathing slightly labored. His hand remained on my neck, keeping me close enough to feel his breath on my face. "Isn't that right? Think back, Elsa. What happened a year ago in January?"

I froze, my mind racing back through the calendar. A year ago in January... My stomach twisted with sudden realization.

"Nothing," I whispered, but even as I said it, a memory surfaced—a freezing afternoon, a quiet café, steam rising from a cappuccino, a meeting I'd thought no one knew about. Oh, shit.

Drake's eyes narrowed dangerously, his fingers tightening at the nape of my neck. "Who did you meet that day, Elsa? How dare you?"

The intensity in his voice made me flinch. My pulse raced so fast I felt light-headed. "I don't know what you're talking about," I lied, my voice cracking.

"Don't lie to me," Drake's voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. His face was inches from mine, fever making his skin radiate heat. "You're mine, Elsa. You were mine then, you're mine now. Did you think I wouldn't find out? Did you think I wouldn't want to tear that man to fucking pieces when I discovered you'd gone behind my back?"

My stomach dropped like a stone as the full realization hit me. He knew. Somehow, he knew about my meeting with Alexander Lumin, the Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack. It had been innocent—just a coffee to discuss potential career opportunities if I ever left Stone Enterprises. But to Drake, it would have looked like betrayal. Like I was planning to defect.

I remembered what followed that meeting. Drake had disappeared for three days. When he returned, he was cold, distant. And within weeks, Vera was suddenly by his side everywhere he went.

"Is that..." I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry as sandpaper. I pushed away from him, needing space to breathe, to think. "Is that why you started parading Vera around? Are you fucking kidding me?"

Drake didn't answer directly, but the flash of anger in his eyes told me everything I needed to know. I ran my hands through my hair, tugging at the roots in frustration.