Nyssa pov
“Why did you enter that room?! How dare you, she–wolf?”
Darius’s voice sent a shiver down my spine, dread pooling in my stomach as his eyes narrowed into a deadly glare. His aura radiated off him, heavy and suffocating.
I had never seen Darius this furious–not even when I was Liana. Back then, he rarely lost his temper; even in a foul mood, he would only smile at me. In this lifetime, he mostly ignored me, staring with cold indifference as though I didn’t exist.
But this… this was different.
This time, he looked truly angry. And it made my blood run cold.
I parted my lips to speak, my breath coming out shaky and uneven, but no words would form. All I could do was stare, my eyes widening in fear.
Enter which room?
The one with the paintings of me… was that why he was so angry?
“I asked you a question, she–wolf,” he snapped again, slicing through my thoughts. “What were you doing in that room? How dare you go in there!? You pulled away the covers! Who gave you the right to do that!?”
His roar made me flinch, and in that moment, realization struck me.
He was furious because I had wandered into the room filled with his paintings of me.
Now that my memories had returned, I understood. Those paintings were likely the only things Darius had left to remember me by, the last pieces of Liana he could cling to. They must have been precious to him, explaining why the door was made of silver, and why the maid had deliberately led and trapped me there.
To get me into trouble with him.
It all made sense now.
“Who gave you the right…” he continued, as I stood there dazed. His grip tightened painfully around my arm, making me whimper. “Who gave you the right to see her?”
My eyes widened at his last words, at how broken he sounded. I could hear the pain lacing his voice, and before I could stop myself, my eyes trembled, turning red, stinging with unshed tears as I stared at him.
I could see it. Even if only for a moment/I saw it.
Beneath the cold mask and the anger/I saw the pain in his gaze as he looked at me.
How hadn’t I realized it before? Why hadn’t I truly looked at him, tried to understand him? Like everyone else, I had always believed he was some heartless monster who cared for no one, who killed without remorse. But behind it all, there was a
tragic story shaping who he was.
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10:58 Sat, 30 Aug
Chapter 175
He wasn’t heartless, he felt, just like everyone else.
49%
38)
I shook my head as a tear slid down my cheek. Maybe it was because of that, but Darius froze, his expression shifting for just a moment. Before I could stop myself, I reached out, my hand brushing against his cheek. Then I leaned in, closing the space between us until there was barely any left, and whispered under my breath.
“I’m sorry…” I breathed, my lips trembling as more tears slipped down my cheeks. Darius stiffened, his eyes widening in surprise, but he didn’t move, he didn’t pull away from my touch.
“I’m sorry for everything you’ve been through, Darius. I’m sorry for leaving you so soon. It… it was because of me. That’s why you were cursed, why you had to suffer so much. I’m so sorry, my king.”
My fingers brushed gently across his face, and I watched as his eyes fluttered closed, as though drawn to my touch.
The corners of my lips curved into a faint, trembling smile, a shaky breath escaping me as I looked at him. Perhaps it was
that moment that gave me courage, because I raised my other hand, cupping his face fully between both palms and pulling him closer as I whispered on.
“But I’m here now, Darius. Your mate is back, and everything will be okay. It will be just like it once was…”
………..
His eyes slowly opened at my words. I was just about to tell him, just about to reveal that Liana was back, that I was the one he had been grieving all this time, when his gaze turned icy. In an instant, he swatted my hands away from his face, his deadly aura pressing down on me, heavier than before.
“Don’t call me that,” he spat, his voice sharp with rage.
Before I could react, his hand shot out, gripping my shoulder as he shoved me back onto the bed. He leaned over me, his face inches from mine, his fingers tightening against my shoulder as a low growl rumbled from his chest, his eyes burning
silver.
“I am not your mate. You don’t get to call me that. We are not fated mates and we never will be.”
My heart plummeted to my stomach at his words. Fear shoy through my spine, yet still, I forced myself to shake my head.
“No… no, you don’t understand, Darius. I am your mate. I am Liana! Yes, I am Liana. I remember who I am now, I’ve been born again-”
Before I could finish, his hand shot up and closed tightly around my neck.
The world seemed to freeze in an instant. I stared at him in shock and disbelief as his grip tightened, cutting off my air
until I couldn’t even breathe.
Instinctively, my trembling hands flew to his, clawing desperately as I tried to pry him off, gasping harshly for air. But it didn’t faze him. His eyes were so cold, they looked almost dead.
“W–what are you doing?” I wanted to say, but no words escaped me. My lungs burned, and still his gaze bore into me, his eyes flashing as though his wolf was fighting for control. Yet Darius didn’t blink, he didn’t even flinch.
“Don’t you dare!” he roared, his voice shaking the room. “Don’t you dare say her name with your filthy mouth. How dare you!”
2/3
10:58 Sat, 30 Augu
Chapter 175
༢་ 49%–>
+38
I whimpered, my nails digging into his hand as the pressure around my throat grew unbearable. If I didn’t suffocate first, it felt as though he would snap my neck in two.
And he was going to, any second now, especially as I felt his nails slowly sharpen into claws.
AD
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