She took a step back. “So go ahead. Do what you want.”
Silence stretched between us. Something cracked inside me. Not just fear. Not even helplessness. But something deeper. Something that had been breaking since the moment I stepped into this world.
Because I knew, in the end, she was right.
And that was the worst part.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Shackled in Sin and Silk
The walls felt tighter here. They felt like they were closing in, like they could hear my thoughts, feel my panic, and taste the fear curling around my throat like an invisible noose.
My heels clicked against the marble floor as I followed Elena down the long corridor. Walking felt heavier, and breathing like a luxury I couldn’t afford. My stomach was twisting with something violent. Dread, maybe. Or the sickening weight of inevitability.
Run.
My subconscious reminded me again. Run. As if I could. As if there was anywhere to go.
I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. I was trapped. I knew that. And yet, my mind kept trying to mapout an escape route, grasping for possibilities that didn’t exist. A window I could jump from? A door that his guards did not guard? A weapon that would most definitely be useless against him?
The world inside this place was solely crafted for me. With illusions. And me? Just another pawn caught in its web.
Elena stopped in front of his office. I swallowed hard, my pulse hammering against my skin as I stared at it.
This was it.
She turned to me with the same unreadable expression she bore earlier. “Knock. He’ll let you in.”
I hesitated. My fingers curled around the fabric of my dress, the silk smooth and cool beneath my clammy hands.
Elena exhaled sharply. “You’ll be fine.” And then, just like that, she walked away, leaving me alone in front of the lion’s den.
I swallowed again. This time with utter difficulty. My throat was dry. My body was at war with itself… one half frozen in fear, the other itching to run. I raised my fist, hesitated again, then finally knocked.
Silence.
For a moment, I thought maybe he hadn’t heard. Maybe he was making me wait on purpose, just to toy with me.
“Come in.”
My breath hitched. A shiver ran down my spine, but I reached for the handle anyway. The door creaked open, revealing the room beyond.
It was exactly as I had left it. And yet… it wasn’t.
The seating area had been rearranged, the dark leather couches now facing the massive floor-to-ceiling windows. Beyond them, the sky bled in hues of pink and gold, the sea stretching endlessly below, waves crashing like whispered secrets against the shore.
Candles flickered on the low table between the couches, their soft glow cast elongated shadows across the room. A table, set for two, stood nearby, covered dishes waiting beneath the silver lids.
For a moment, just for a slight second, I forgot why I was here. Only when shadows in my periphery moved, I saw him. There he was.
I gasped, my fingers automatically tightening around the doorframe.
He was leaning against his desk, arms crossed over his broad chest, ankles crossed at the boots. His head tilted slightly like he was assessing me silently, and those stormy grey eyes raked over me, drinking in every inch.
The scar.
I had never looked at it properly, nor purposely tried to ignore it. It ran from his temple to the edge of his cheekbone, jagged and cruel like a mark that told stories without ever needing words. It should have ruined him. It didn’t though. If anything, it made him more terrifying. More real. Like a wolf marked by wars and still standing. Still dangerous.
