The dining room fell completely silent.
Everyone stared at like I had just lost my mind, especially the Blackwell brothers. None of them had any idea what I was doing. The air felt tense, thick with confusion.
Yael was in the middle of handing a ravioli when he froze. His hand shook slightly, and the dumpling slipped from his chopsticks and dropped back onto the plate.
Whitney was staring at too, completely stunned. Her eyes moved slowly between Amber and , like she was trying to solve a puzzle that made no sense. Suspicion filled her expression. If I knew Whitney well enough, she was probably thinking soone had possessed Amber’s body.
The whole situation looked unreal.
Lewis, however, seed to understand sothing the others didn’t. His expression grew darker with every passing second, his sharp gaze fixed on .
Yael leaned closer and whispered nervously, "Elena, you..."
I calmly took a sip of soy milk before speaking.
"Why does everyone look so shocked?" I asked casually. "Amber is Lewis’s aunt. Since Lewis and I are bonded mates, it’s only right that I respect her. Amber, don’t you think so?"
Amber answered stiffly, almost like the words were forced out of her.
"Yes."
It was almost funny.
Last night she had held a dagger, ready to kill . Now here we were, sitting at the sa table like a peaceful pack family.
No one could have imagined such a strange turn of events.
Vito stayed quiet through all of it. Even Yael, who could usually sense when sothing was wrong, couldn’t figure out what exactly had changed.
Breakfast continued, but no one was really eating with peace in their hearts.
The mont the al ended, Amber stood up and looked at Vito.
"Co to the study with ."
"Okay, Mom," Vito replied.
Before leaving, he gave a long, deep look. In the past, Vito always wore a fake smile that revealed nothing. But now that mask was gone. His expression had turned colder, darker, and sohow more unsettling.
He followed Amber out.
Yael looked uneasy. He slowly tried to move closer to , but Lewis shot him a cold glare that made him stop imdiately.
Whitney finally spoke, unable to hold back anymore.
"Elena... what happened last night?"
Lewis was watching too, clearly waiting for an answer.
"I talked with Amber," I said lightly. "She was moved by my sincerity and agreed to convince Vito to let you go."
Whitney and Yael exchanged shocked looks.
"That’s impossible," Yael said imdiately. "Vito is obsessed with Whitney. He would rather die than let her leave."
It wouldn’t be easy.
But Amber had already agreed. If she made a promise, she would find a way to control Vito.
Suddenly, a loud crash ca from the study.
Sothing shattered.
"Vito!" Yael shouted as he jumped up and rushed toward the noise.
I followed him quickly.
When we entered the study, Vito was kneeling on the floor surrounded by broken porcelain. Blood was running down his forehead where a sharp fragnt had cut him.
Amber stood nearby.
In front of Lewis, she always acted calm and composed, but everyone else knew her temper could explode at any mont. She was like a ticking bomb, and her sons had long learned to stay careful around her.
Still, I had underestimated how much Vito cared about Whitney.
Ignoring the blood on his face, Vito straightened his back and stared directly at Amber.
"Mom," he said firmly, "I’ll agree to anything you want. But Camilla is everything to . If you want to tear us apart, then just kill now."
I couldn’t hold back anymore.
"Tear you apart?" I said coldly. "You’ve got so nerve saying that. You’ve kept Whitney locked beside you for years. That’s not love. That’s possession."
Vito shot a sharp look.
"Elena, whatever happens between Camilla and is none of your business," he said coldly. "Even if you are her sister."
"You—"
Before I could continue, Lewis wrapped an arm around my waist and gently pulled back. His quiet strength told to calm down.
I took a deep breath before speaking again.
"Marriage isn’t just about two people," I said steadily. "It’s also about the packs they co from. You can’t build it only on your obsession. If you truly care about Whitney, shouldn’t you respect how she feels?"
Vito turned to Whitney.
She stood beside quietly, her face unreadable.
"Camilla," Vito said firmly, "I told you I would take you as my mate. No one can separate us."
His expression was intense, almost unhealthy. The blood still running down his forehead only made him look more unsettling.
"Vito," I continued, "you forced Whitney to stay beside you for years. Was she ever truly happy? Were you?"
He didn’t answer.
Over the past few days, I had noticed sothing about him. He had started changing. He no longer treated Whitney like sothing he owned. Instead, he was trying to gain her approval, even lowering himself just to please her.
But Whitney still looked sad.
And Vito knew it.
"Even if you hold a bonding ceremony and call it a marriage," I said quietly, "do you really think that will fix everything?"
"That’s between us," he replied coldly. "It has nothing to do with you."
"Whitney will turn twenty-six this year," I said softly. "She has already given the best years of her life to you. How many of those days were happy? Her past has been nothing but darkness. Are you planning to make the rest of her life the sa?"
The room went quiet.
"You might comfort her today," I continued. "But what about tomorrow? Next year? Hearts change, Vito. And if one day you stop loving her, what will happen to her then? The Morrigans and the Blackwells have already suffered enough. Isn’t it ti to end this cycle?"
I let out a quiet sigh.
"I can see that you truly love Whitney. You want her to have a good life. That ans the hatred in your heart is already fading. So let’s compromise. I won’t interfere with your wedding or your mate bond. But remove the control chip from her body. That’s the least you can do."
Then I added softly, "If you truly care about her, treat her like a person... not like soone tied to a leash."
Vito turned toward Whitney again.
"If I remove it," he asked quietly, "will you leave ?"
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