The common room was unusually quiet for once, the soft crackle of the fireplace the only sound filling the space. You were seated on the leather couch, your arms crossed defensively as you avoided Mattheo’s piercing gaze. He stood just a few feet away, his chest rising and falling with barely-contained rage, every muscle in his body taut like a coiled spring.

His dark curls framed his sharp features, his jaw clenched as he finally broke the silence.

“Do you think I’m gonna f/cking sit back and watch this sh/t?” Mattheo growled, his voice low but seething. “Let him f/cking touch you? F/ck no. You’re mine.”

Your heart skipped a beat at the raw intensity in his voice, but you forced yourself to hold his gaze.

“Mattheo,” you began, but he cut you off, taking a step closer.

“You have always been mine, and you f/cking know it,” he said, his voice trembling with emotion now. “I love you. Do you get that?”

His eyes burned into yours, the weight of his words slamming into you like a tidal wave.

“I love you,” he repeated. “I have never loved anyone, and I hate that I love you this much, but it’s f/cking real.”

You couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, as he closed the distance between you.

“I know that you feel it too,” he continued. “Don’t lie to yourself. He will never love you the way I do.”

Your breath caught in your throat as his words washed over you.

“You are mine,” he said, his voice dark and commanding. “Your laugh, your smile—all of it.”

Mattheo’s eyes darkened further, his jaw tightening as he added, “And if he ever tried to take that away from me, I swear I’ll f/cking destroy him. You know I will.”

His words hung in the air, heavy and unyielding.

“No one else will ever f/cking have you,” he growled. “Do you hear this? No one.”