Chapter 5 : Shackles of Night
465 Words
The celebration of blood still echoed in the courtyard long after Everleigh was dragged inside. Rogues drank and howled outside, their laughter cutting through the night like knives. Every sound clawed at her ears.
Isaac shoved her into what had once been her own room. The door slammed shut behind them, the lock clicking into place.
Her sanctuary was unrecognizable. The curtains were torn down, the bed linens stained with soot, the window cracked from the earlier fight. The scent of smoke and death clung to the walls.
Isaac turned slowly, his dark eyes glittering as he looked at her like a predator sizing up its prey. “You’ll get used to it,” he said casually, as though this ruin was her new home.
Everleigh’s fists clenched. “I will never get used to you.”
He smirked. “Oh, you will. You’ll fight me, you’ll scream at me, but in the end, you’ll learn where you belong.” His gaze swept over her, deliberate, possessive. “By my side. In my bed. Carrying my heirs.”
Her stomach lurched. She lifted her chin, masking her fear with icy defiance. “I’d rather die.”
Isaac’s laugh was low and dangerous. He stepped closer, his presence suffocating, until the heat of him pressed against her skin. “Death would be too easy, little wolf. No… I want you alive. I want your fire. And I want to break it, piece by piece.”
Everleigh’s wolf howled within her, thrashing against the invisible cage of his dominance. She wanted to claw his face, to drive her dagger into his chest—but her dagger was gone. Her strength meant nothing against his.
Isaac tilted his head, studying her. “Sleep well, Everleigh. You’ll need your strength.” He turned, unlocking the door with a lazy twist. Before leaving, he looked back over his shoulder with a smile that made her blood run cold. “Soon, you’ll be mine in every way.”
The door slammed, the lock clicking again.
Silence.
Everleigh sank to the floor, her body trembling as hot tears blurred her vision. She pressed her hands against her face, muffling her sobs. Images of her father’s fall, her mother’s scream, the pack’s s*******r—they tore through her mind like blades.
But even as grief suffocated her, a spark refused to die.
She dragged herself onto the bed, curling tight, whispering into the darkness:
I will not break. Not for him. Not ever.
Her tears dried on her cheeks, replaced by steel.
If I have to wait days, months, years… I will find a way. I will run. I will survive. And I will make Isaac Maes pay.
Outside, the rogues howled their victory to the moon.
Inside, Everleigh swore her silent rebellion.
- Writer
