ch 7 Shadows of Control
1770 Words
This chapter contains themes of psychological manipulation, loss of bodily autonomy, coercive control, emotional distress, and dark power dynamics. The reader read on your own risk.
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Joshua
Joshua paced the length of the dark corridor outside his private chamber, the heavy stone floor echoing faintly beneath his restless steps, each movement sharp and uneven as though he were trying to outrun something that lived beneath his own skin.
Torchlight flickered along the ancient walls, stretching shadows into long, distorted shapes that seemed to follow him, silent witnesses to the storm unraveling inside him.
His breathing was uneven. Not from exhaustion. From something far worse. Frustration and rage.
And a suffocating helplessness that coiled tighter around his chest with every passing moment.
He stopped abruptly, one hand slamming against the cold stone wall as though he could ground himself through force alone. His fingers curled slowly, knuckles paling as tension climbed through his arm, locking his muscles in place.
It wasn’t working.
Nothing had been working.
Not since Meera entered his life.
He lost his control, and he lost his mate too. All because of Meera.
Joshua shut his eyes briefly, forcing his breath into something slower, something controlled. But the moment he reached inward, searching for the familiar presence that had always steadied him, there was nothing.
His wolf remained silent. Like he didn't know what was going on outside. No restless, anger in his wolf. It stays silent all the time.
As though something had wrapped around his wolf and dragged it into a forced, unnatural sleep.
The emptiness clawed at him. Wolves were never meant to feel alone inside their own minds.
Yet that was exactly what she had done to him.
She had taken the one part of him that could fight her. She silenced his wolf.
Which left only his mind and his body.
His mind still burned, fought, refused to give up. He still remember tearsful eyes of Nishi. He wanted to do something, but he was tied
He did everything because of Meera. She tied him up. He says what she taught him to say. He wanted to argue with her.
But his body.
His body betrayed him already.
A soft sound broke through the silence behind him. Footsteps are coming toward him.
Every muscle in Joshua’s body tensed instantly, his instincts screaming even before he turned.
He already knew who it was.
“Joshua… You are here….”
Her presence filled the corridor before her voice ever could, slipping into the air like something inevitable, something that did not need permission to exist.
When he finally turned, she was already there. Wearing a silky night robe with a bottle of wine in another band.
Standing just a few steps away.
The torchlight danced across her face, illuminating the calm curve of her lips, the faint, knowing smile resting there as though she could already see through every layer of resistance he tried to build.
She approached slowly.
Each step is deliberate, and graceful.
Joshua forced himself to remain still, even as irritation surged violently through his chest, sharp and restless.
He hated this.
Hated the way his body reacted to her presence before she even spoke.
Before she even touched him.
That invisible pull tightened around him, subtle but absolute, threading through his muscles like something that had already claimed ownership.
Meera stopped in front of him.
Close.
Too close.
For a moment, she said nothing.
Her gaze moved slowly over him. His rigid stance, his clenched fists, the tension carved into every line of his body.
She could see the resistance and fury.
The defiance that refused to break.
And yet she also knew the truth beneath it.
His body would not disobey her. Not anymore. Her hand lifted slowly.
Joshua’s instincts screamed at him to move, step back.
To break the distance. But he didn’t. His body remained exactly where it was.
Her fingers brushed lightly along his arm. The touch was soft. Almost gentle. Yet the reaction it pulled from him was immediate.
His muscles tightened sharply, breath catching for a brief, betraying second as something uninvited moved beneath his skin.
The air between them shifted.
Meera’s smile deepened, slow and satisfied.
“You are tense again, Joshua.” she murmured, her voice low, smooth carrying a warmth that almost felt comforting, if not for the control hidden beneath it.
Joshua said nothing. He couldn’t trust his voice. Couldn’t trust anything that might slip through.
Meera tilted her head slightly, studying him with quiet fascination.
“Still fighting?” she continued softly, her fingers trailing slowly along his forearm, unhurried, deliberate, as though she were testing the limits of something she already understood.
Joshua’s jaw locked.
Inside his mind, he was shouting
Stop touching me. Get away from me.
But his body ignored him completely.Meera leaned closer.
Close enough that her voice no longer belonged to the space around them, but to him alone.
“Your thoughts are yours, but your body is mine.” She whispered near his ear.
Joshua’s stomach tightened instantly. Her breath was warm.
her voice softened further, almost intimate, “…answers to me.”
Her fingers shifted, pressing lightly against the center of his chest.
And instantly pulled tight.
His body reacted before he could stop it.
The humiliation burned through him like fire, sharp and consuming.
Meera watched it happen.
“See? You can't stop me.” she murmured.
Joshua’s eyes darkened, fury flashing briefly through them like a warning that no longer held power.
If his wolf had been awake this corridor would not still be standing.
But the silence inside him remained.
Meera stepped back slightly, giving him space, but never releasing control.
“Come, let go. We have to have some fun.” One word.
Joshua’s body moved instantly.
Without hesitation or resistance.
Each step is smooth.
Inside, the storm raged violently.
But outwardly he followed.
The chamber door closed behind them with a quiet finality.
The room was dim, the fire low, shadows stretching across the walls in slow, flickering movements.
Peaceful.
A room that belonged to Luna and his mate. Nothing more. But Luna and her mate are nowhere to be found.
Nothing anyone would question.
Joshua stopped where she wanted him.
Burning beneath the surface.
Meera circled him slowly, her steps unhurried as her gaze moved over him with careful attention, as though she were studying something she had crafted herself.
“You have so much strength…” she murmured, almost thoughtfully.
Her fingers adjusted his shoulder slightly. His body responded instantly.
“Perfect for me.”
The word lingered. Soft and possessive.
Joshua’s mind recoiled.
Meera stepped in front of him again, her gaze lifting to meet him.
For a moment, silence stretched between them.
“kneel.” The words were quiet.
Joshua’s heart slammed violently against his ribs. His mind rejected it instantly. But his body betrayed him.
His knees bent slowly.
One.
Then the other.
Until he was lowered before her.
His fists clenched tightly at his sides, tension running through him like a barely contained explosion.
He hated this.
Hated her control.
Hated the way his body surrendered while his mind burned.
Meera stepped closer.
Her fingers slipped lightly through his hair, slow, deliberate, guiding without force.
“So obedient… drink this….” she whispered, her voice softer now, edged with something darker… something almost indulgent. She held a glass of wine that poured for him.
Joshua’s breathing deepened.
He remained still.
Because he had no choice. He takes a glass from her and drinks the whole wine.
Her hand slid down to his shoulder, resting there with quiet familiarity.
Joshua's mind becomes dazed.
“You see how easy this is?” she continued, calm, patient, dangerously certain.
“Your wolf sleeps.…your mind may scream…” Her fingers shifted slightly, lifting his chin. His head followed instantly.
Her gaze held his.
Steady.
Unmoving.
“But your body…belongs to me.”
Silence swallowed the room.
Joshua stared forward, every part of him burning with restrained violence. But the invisible chains.
Meera stepped back, observing him one final time, satisfaction flickering quietly across her expression.
“Stand up. ”
He did it immediately and perfectly.
She put the wine aside and untied her silky gown. One soft move she was naked in front of him. There was no pregnant bump, only a slim belly.
Joshua wanted to close his eyes. But his body didn't listen.
Meera lay down on his bed. Open her legs to invite him.
“Strip and come here.” She waves her long fingers.
Joshua’s body obeyed her. He strips and climbs into bed.
“Come, show me your wolf power.” She whispered seductively.
She gave him small instructions after that.
“Yes… Go deeper….” Her nails dug into his back as she pulled him close.
“Joshua, don't stop until I say so… I need your seeds.” Meera breathes heavily as Joshua's body and hips move.
“Your pack, your Beta, your wolf, your body… Everything is in my control…” Meera speaks with minor movements.
Joshua hates each contract he has with her. But his body still obeys her.
To the world, she remained perfect Luna. A Luna admired by all.
“Yes, My Alpha…” Meera moans in pleasure.
No one would ever see the truth hidden beneath that illusion.
Meera watched him carefully, her gaze thoughtful now.
“Soon…” she murmured.
Joshua’s muscles tightened slightly. The only rebellion he could still show.
Her eyes gleamed faintly.
“You will give me everything I need. Forget about Nishi. You belong to me.” The words were quiet.
Something far more dangerous than either.
Joshua’s fists clenched again.
Inside the storm only grew stronger.
But outwardly.
He is moving as she wants.
“Ugh!” A low grunt.
Meera smiled faintly.
She understood exactly what stood before her. A warrior whose mind still resisted.
A body that no longer could.
And a secret no one would ever uncover.
“Good alpha… Now go wash up.” Meera commands.
Joshua pulled back and walked toward the bathroom.
Meera wears her gown. As she turned toward the door, her voice lingered softly behind her.
“Soon… everything will fall into place. Once I conceive a baby.”
The door closed. Silence returned into the room.
Joshua stood alone in the cold shower. His mind is still raging.
His wolf is still silent.
And his body is still not his own. Tears mix with water.
“Nishi… I'm sorry….” A low whisper left from his lips.
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- Writer
