"You’re not alone, baby girl," he says, voice low and fierce. "You never will be."
Another body presses close—Max. A third—Sebastian, his hand cupping the back of my head.
The three of them form a wall around me, shielding me from the world I just walked away from.
I hold on tightly to Silas, letting the certainty in his touch anchor me. My heart still stutters unevenly, but the worst of the collapse passes. I can breathe again. I’m safe.
Or I think I am.
The door swings open behind me.
I stiffen instantly, the comforting cocoon around me breaking apart as Dom steps outside.
His expression is infuriatingly neutral, but there’s a glint in his eye that sets my teeth on edge. I pull away from Silas slowly, wiping at my face with the back of my hand. I turn to face Dom, squaring my shoulders, forcing my voice to steady.
"Why are you doing this?"
Dom’s mouth twitches. "I’m protecting Sebastian."
I laugh, sharp and humorless. "No. You're not."
He raises an eyebrow, feigning innocence.
"This isn’t about protection," I say, stepping closer. "This is about control. About power. You can’t stand the fact that you don’t have it anymore."
Something cracks in his carefully constructed façade. A flicker of something ugly flashes across his face.
"You’re pathetic," I say, letting every ounce of fury, every buried wound rise to the surface. "Trying to destroy something just because you don’t understand it."
His hands flex at his sides, a clear sign that I’ve hit a nerve.
"I’m not afraid of you," I say, meaning every word. "You think you’re untouchable because you know how to move pieces on a board. But you’re not playing chess anymore, Dom. You’re standing alone, clinging to rules that no longer matter."
I step closer, so close I can see the slight flare of his nostrils.
"Stay away from me," I say, voice low and unwavering. "Stay away from all of us."
I gesture behind me—at Silas, Max, Sebastian. At the future Dom will never be a part of.
For a moment, Dom just stands there, muscles coiled like he’s debating whether to argue, to lash out. But then he gives a bitter smile and without another word he turns and walks back into the house, slamming the door behind him.
I stand there, heart hammering, waiting for the adrenaline to wear off.
All my men surround me and I turn into their touch, breathing them in.
Home.
Safe.
Loved.
Everything my family could never give me—right here, wrapped around me like armor.
Chapter45
Silas
Some people need to learn the hard way. I don’t trust that Dom will slink off with his tail between his legs, not after everything he’s pulled. And Heather? She’s even worse—more venom than brains. The kind of woman who would set the house on fire just because she wasn’t the one who got to live in it.