Chapter 121

VALERIA’S POV By the time morning arrived, my decision was made. I wasn’t going to stay inside anymore. I had spent days trapped within the confines of the packhouse, forced into the shadows while the rest of the world moved on without me. I understood the need for caution, the necessity of staying out of sight. But there was a limit to my patience, and I had reached it. I knew how to stay off everyone's radar. I knew how to move undetected. But if I stayed locked away any longer, I was going to explode. So, when I stepped out of my room and headed toward the exit, I wasn’t surprised when Dimitri appeared in my path, blocking the door with that infuriatingly composed expression of his. “You’re not going anywhere.” His voice was firm, unyielding. I clenched my jaw, my frustration bubbling dangerously close to the surface. I had spent too many years being controlled, and I refused to let him—or anyone else—dictate my every move. Not anymore. “Do you even know what you’re walking into?” h