"Roman!" Violet was screaming now as she stumbled out of the treehouse. "Roman, please, just talk to me!"
But there was no sign of him, only the trees and the distant call of the birds, oblivious to her heartbreak.
Hot tears streamed down Violet’s cheeks, blurring her vision. She could feel it. Roman was slipping through her fingers, vanishing into the wilderness of his own pain.
In her desperation to get down and find him, her tear-blurred eyes missed a step on the precarious wooden staircase.
It happened in a flash. One moment she was rushing down, and the next, she was falling.
Panic crashed over her like a wave and her arms flailed uselessly, grasping at nothing. The fall wouldn’t kill her, but the impact would be brutal. She was stupid. what had she been thinking? Climbing a rickety staircase in the middle of an emotional breakdown?
Violet closed her eyes, bracing for pain. But it never came.
Something, or rather, someone, caught her mid-air, and the next moment they were rolling across the forest floor. His body cushioned the fall, taking most of the impact.
When they stopped, she found herself sprawled on top of Roman. His beautiful green eyes stared up at her. And that was it, the floodgate burst open.
"Why are you all doing this to me?" she sobbed. "Is it a crime to get a mate bond?"
The words left her like a raw wound, torn open in the middle of the forest. Violet was exhausted. She was tired of the drama. Tired of pretending. Tired of being pulled in every direction. She was just so tired.
Roman swallowed hard, his jaw tight as she cried on top of him. Slowly, he shifted and wrapped his arms around her, letting her bury her face into his chest.
For a while, there was nothing but the sound of Violet weeping while Roman simply held her. Then, cautiously, he began to pat her shoulder, guilt etched across his face.
He hadn’t meant to hurt her like this. There was just so much anger and betrayal inside of him he didn’t know what to do with it.
Minutes passed and Violet eventually pulled away, her eyes red, and her voice hoarse. They sat there in silence, the raw kind that stretches between two people with too many unsaid things between them.
"It’s already evening," Roman muttered, getting to his feet. "You should leave. These woods aren’t friendly at night."
Violet stood up quickly as well. "Seriously? That’s all you’re going to say?"
Roman froze. "What do you want from me, Violet Purple?" he snapped, his green eyes flashing. "You have your mate now. Go to him."
"I want you!" Violet shouted back. "I want you, Roman. Is that so hard to believe?"
"Oh, I see what this is now," Roman said bitterly, laughing without humor. "The goddess might have bonded you to Griffin, but you still want to keep the rest of us hanging. You want to keep me. That’s not romantic, Violet, that’s whorish."
Violet’s hand flew before she could stop herself, landing a sharp slap across Roman’s face. His head turned with the impact, and for a second, even the forest seemed to hold its breath.
Roman slowly looked back at her, his eyes blazing with disbelief at first, then fury. He stepped forward, his body tense, and he looked as if he would throttle her.
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