Chapter 17:A Cage Made Of Shadows
975 Words
Alina stared at the door long after Viktor had disappeared.
The room felt smaller, colder, suffocating despite the warmth still lingering from his presence.
The key was gone.
Her way out—stolen.
She pressed her back against the wall, her legs trembling as she slowly slid down to the floor. Her heart was still racing, her body betraying her even in solitude.
Why?
Why hadn’t she walked through that door when she had the chance?
Her fingers curled into her palms, nails digging into her skin. She should hate him. She did hate him. But there was something far worse than hatred crawling beneath her skin—something Viktor knew.
And that made it all the more terrifying.
He had seen her hesitate. He had felt her surrender.
A knock at the door made her flinch. She shot up, panic rising in her throat as the handle turned.
It wasn’t Viktor.
A man she recognized entered—one of Viktor’s men. His presence didn’t hold the same suffocating weight, but it carried an undeniable authority.
“The Boss requests your presence.”
Alina clenched her fists. “I don’t care what he—”
“Now.”
The command left no room for argument.
Alina hesitated, then slowly moved toward the door. She wasn’t about to be dragged through the halls like some helpless captive. She’d walk with her head high.
Even if she felt anything but strong.
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The Devil’s Throne
She was led through the halls of Viktor’s estate, the dim lighting and sleek, expensive decor whispering of wealth and power.
It was a kingdom.
And Viktor was its king.
The moment she stepped into the grand study, she felt it. The presence.
Viktor was seated at his desk, his posture exuding the kind of control that sent chills down her spine. He wasn’t a man used to being questioned. He wasn’t a man who gave second chances.
He looked up, his piercing gaze locking onto her the second she entered.
“Sit.”
Alina hesitated, then slowly lowered herself into the chair across from him.
Viktor’s fingers tapped against the wooden desk, slow, deliberate. “Why didn’t you run?”
The question hit like a bullet.
Her throat tightened. “I—”
“I don’t want your lies, printsessa.” His voice was deceptively soft. “Tell me.”
Alina swallowed hard. “I… I don’t know.”
Viktor tilted his head, studying her like a puzzle he already knew the answer to.
“No?” he murmured, leaning forward. “Or are you afraid of the truth?”
She gritted her teeth. “And what truth is that?”
Viktor’s lips curved into something dark, something knowing.
“That you belong to me.”
A sharp breath left her lungs. “I don’t—”
Viktor stood so suddenly that she barely had time to react.
He moved around the desk with a predator’s grace, stopping just in front of her.
Alina pressed back against the chair, but there was nowhere to go. He reached out, his fingers tilting her chin up until their eyes met.
“You felt it,” he murmured, his voice a dangerous caress. “That pull. That need.”
She shook her head. “I don’t—”
His thumb brushed against her lower lip, silencing her.
“You can lie to yourself, printsessa,” he whispered. “But you will never lie to me.”
Heat spread through her chest, warring with the ice of her fear.
She should push him away. She should scream, fight, do something.
Then she did.
With all her strength, she twisted out of his grasp and ran.
Viktor didn’t stop her.
Not at first.
The door was open. The halls were eerily silent, like a sleeping beast waiting to wake. She bolted past doors, her heart hammering, her breath coming in sharp bursts.
Run. Run. Run.
She turned a corner—saw the entrance.
The grand doors loomed ahead, and beyond them—freedom.
She reached for the handle.
Cold steel.
Then—
Arms wrapped around her waist, yanking her back.
A sharp gasp tore from her lips as she crashed into an unforgiving chest, a strong grip locking around her. Her back was pressed against him.
She didn’t need to turn to know who it was.
“Did you really think I’d let you go so easily?” Viktor’s voice was low, calm. But there was something else. Something dark beneath the surface.
Alina struggled, kicking and twisting in his hold. “Let me go!”
His grip only tightened.
“I told you, printsessa,” he murmured against her ear, his breath hot against her skin.
“You can run.” His fingers slid down her wrist, pressing against her racing pulse.
“But you’ll never escape me.”
Her breaths came in short gasps as she writhed against his hold, her mind screaming at her to fight. She twisted, using all her strength to pull free, but Viktor only chuckled.
“Such spirit,” he murmured, pressing her tighter against his chest. “But you forget, Alina…”
His voice darkened.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment for years.”
She froze.
Years?
Her thoughts reeled.
What did he mean?
Before she could demand answers, Viktor scooped her up in one fluid motion, carrying her back through the halls.
“No—let me go!” She thrashed in his arms, pounding at his chest, but his grip was unrelenting.
“Shh, printsessa,” he whispered. “We’re not done yet.”
Terror and rage clashed inside her, but deep beneath it all, buried in a place she refused to acknowledge—
Was something far more dangerous.
Something Viktor had already seen.
Something she was too afraid to admit.
To be continued…
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- Writer
