My back was against the wall in an instant, pinned by Victor’s much larger body. “This is for us,” he hissed. “So you will stop fighting every fucking thing I do and finally just submit to our bond! You bitched for years about feeling like my dirty little secret, and now that I’ve claimed you before all of Lundaria, youstillfind something to complain about?”
I shimmied up the wall as I raised on my tiptoes, leaning forward to whisper in his ear. “Because I don’t want to be with you.”
I closed my eyes, waiting for him to rip into my neck.
Instead, he took a deep breath and calmed down.
“Looks like it’s time to start your therapy, darling.”
I opened my eyes, the icy cold expression on his face scaring me more than the heat of his rage.
“Th-therapy?”
He grinned, his fangs impossibly long and sharp. “You’re never leaving my side again.”
* * *
The room was silent except for the faint hum of the ventilation. Victor stood near the center, hands clasped behind his back, mouth closed in a thin line, and eyes fixed on me in a way that made my skin crawl despite my resolve.
But it was Vorthain’s presence I felt even more. The dark priest’s robes seemed to absorb the light, and every word he spoke echoed in my skull before leaving his lips.
“Your instincts resist, Sage,” Vorthain said, his voice calm and deliberate. “That is expected. The bond has been disrupted and won’t be made whole until your omega nature is realigned.You’re made to submit, and Premier Corvane will guide you. But do not confuse comfort with alignment.”
Victor’s lips twitched. “You understand the exercise, darling?” he asked softly, though the affection he was trying to infuse in his tone felt more like antipathy.
But I understood perfectly, even if I hated it. I had to remind myself that I was here by choice. I had chosen this hell to protect Ronan. I would endure.
“I understand.”
“Good. Then begin with posture,” Vorthain instructed. “Eyes lowered, shoulders relaxed. The body follows the mind. Omega instincts are innate, but they must be cultivated.”
I shifted to the center of the room, my feet aching in the heels and almost making me miss the days I wasn’t allowed to wear shoes. Victor moved closer, a subtle tightening of his stance that forced me to straighten instinctively. My shoulders stiffened under his watchful gaze, every muscle keyed to avoid his touch.
“You feel tension,” he said quietly. “That is your mind resisting. Relax.”
I exhaled, trying to let go, but my pulse hammered against my ribs. Iwasresisting, because I wanted nothing from him. His presence alone would always make me react negatively. No matter what they did to my mind, my body would always remember.
Vorthain’s voice cut through. “Pause. Premier, distance yourself. Let her recalibrate.”
Victor stepped back slightly, his aura struggling to be neutral, and I loosed a small sigh of relief.
“You feel safe now,” Vorthain said softly. “That safety is contingent on space, yes? But the bond demands proximity. Repeat aloud:I am aligned. My instincts follow.”
I froze. The words tasted bitter in my mouth, and I wanted to spit them out to rid myself of their flavor, but the wrongnessstilled my tongue. Victor’s eyes darkened, measuring and counting every flinch and hesitation.
“I…” I swallowed. “… I am aligned. My instincts follow.”
Victor tilted his head. “Good. Do you feel the shift?”
“No,” I whispered, My voice sounded small and insolent, like a child’s, and I cringed. This whole thing was so incredibly infantilizing.
“Then again,” Vorthain said. “This time, consider your purpose. Why do you comply?”
“I comply to protect someone,” I answered, my pulse spiking. The words escaped despite the cage around my chest.
Victor’s brow lifted, lips pressing into a line. “Someone?” His voice was calm, but there was a warning beneath it. A siren, insisting I take shelter before the oncoming storm made landfall. “Explain. Who is this ‘someone’? Is it me you seek to protect, or…?”
I felt his suspicion pressing into my spine. “No… no, it’s… I—”
