He Bet I’d Never Leave Him

Chapter 4

I reached for the letter, but Camille snatched it first.

The paper ripped cleanly in two.

The moment she saw the words printed across the torn page, she froze. Panic flickered across her face.

"Chloe, I didn't mean to! I thought it was just a piece of scrap paper. Besides, why would you leave something this important lying around?"

My eyes burned as I stared at the ruined letter.

"I told you," I said, my voice shaking. "I told you not to touch my suitcase."

Seeing my expression, Elias picked up the torn halves and pressed them into my hands.

"It's fine, Chloe. Worst case, I'll tape it back together for you. It's only a recommendation letter. You're talented enough that no one will care about a minor technicality."

But without that letter, why would anyone give an unknown dancer the chance to become a lead performer?

My fingers curled around the torn paper.

Rage surged through me so violently that my wolf clawed at the surface, desperate to break free.

Camille lowered her eyes and whispered nervously, "Chloe... your wolf is coming out."

Elias immediately pulled her behind him.

His face darkened, and his voice turned sharp.

"Camille didn't do it on purpose. You're really going to shift over a letter? Are you trying to attack us?"

I looked him straight in the eye, fury burning through every word.

"Get out of my way. We're over."

Shock flashed across his face.

Then came anger, followed by disbelief all over again.

"Over? Do you even hear yourself? Chloe, you really need some time to calm down."

My heart sank.

And just as I had feared, Elias shoved me back into the room and locked the door from the outside.

I seized the handle and yanked at it with all my strength.

"Open the door! Let me out!"

Camille's voice drifted through from the other side, cool and detached.

"Chloe, you're being too impulsive. Elias has already agreed to form a mate bond with you. What else could you possibly want?"

Then Elias spoke, "Stop wasting your energy. Where would you even go? Back to your drunk stepfather?"

His tone softened, as though he were being reasonable.

"Camille and I made a bet. If you apologize to her within 12 hours, I'll let you out. So calm down and think carefully, okay?"

But my flight was leaving in two hours.

I pounded on the door until my fists ached, but it didn't budge.

Then a faint, suffocating scent began to spread through the room, slowly stealing the air from my lungs.