Chapter 7:The Moment She Breaks
692 Words
LENA
The room was suffocating.
Not because of the silk-draped walls.
Not because of the gilded prison he’d placed her in.
But because of him.
She could feel him watching.
Even when she wasn’t looking, she felt the weight of his gaze, the heat of it crawling over her skin.
It was like he was everywhere, wrapped around her, woven into her, even when he didn’t touch her.
And that was the worst part—he didn’t have to.
She was unraveling on her own.
And he knew it.
VALERIAN
She was fighting it.
The fire in her eyes, the tension in her body—all of it screamed resistance.
But her body?
Her pulse?
The way her breath hitched whenever he stepped too close?
That told a different story.
And gods, it amused him.
How she still thought she could win this game.
Valerian tilted his head, watching his little wolf pace the room.
She was agitated. Restless.
Good.
She was feeling the pull now.
Feeling him.
And it was only a matter of time before she broke.
LENA
She needed to get out.
Her hands trembled as she reached for the door, her mind screaming at her to keep trying, to run—
But the second her fingers brushed the handle—
A rush of power slammed into her.
Lena staggered, her knees nearly buckling.
It was like stepping through fire.
Like touching something she had no right to touch.
She gasped, her body shuddering from the force of it, her breath ripping through her throat.
And then—
Warmth.
Heat.
Him.
A shadow loomed over her.
Before she could blink, a hand curled around her wrist.
Slow.
Unyielding.
Lena froze.
His grip was gentle, but it was a warning.
"You don’t listen," Valerian murmured.
His voice was so close.
She swallowed, her pulse hammering against her ribs. "Let me go."
Valerian only chuckled, dark and low, his fingers trailing up her arm, leaving fire in their wake.
"You don’t want that," he whispered.
Lena's breath hitched.
She jerked her arm back, stepping away, needing distance.
But he followed.
One step.
Then another.
Until she was trapped against the wall, the cold stone biting into her back, his body caging her in.
Lena clenched her fists. "I don’t want you."
Valerian exhaled a soft tch.
"Lies," he murmured.
He lifted a single finger—just one—and traced it down the length of her throat.
Lena’s entire body shuddered.
Betrayed her.
And Valerian grinned.
A slow, wicked thing.
"Do you feel that?" he murmured.
His finger stopped at the base of her throat, pressing lightly against the rapid, thundering pulse there.
"You think you can hide from me, little wolf?"
Lena glared at him, breath ragged. "Go to hell."
Valerian laughed.
"Darling," he whispered, his hand shifting, fingers barely grazing her exposed collarbone.
"I am hell."
Lena sucked in a breath, her chest tight, burning, screaming.
She should push him away.
She should run.
But when his fingers curled under her chin, tilting her head back—
She didn’t stop him.
His mouth was so close.
His heat was everywhere.
"You’ll break for me," he whispered.
Lena shook.
She hated him.
She wanted him.
She needed—
No. No, no, no.
She snapped.
Before she could stop herself, she grabbed the front of his shirt and yanked him down, crashing her lips against his.
Hard.
Desperate.
Furious.
Valerian let her.
He didn’t pull her closer.
Didn’t soften.
Didn’t give in.
He let her kiss him.
Let her feed her own destruction.
And when she finally pulled away, gasping, shaking, wild with something she didn’t understand—
He only smirked.
"Good girl," he murmured, his fingers brushing over her lips.
Lena’s stomach dropped.
The realization hit her like a blow.
She’d kissed him.
She had kissed him.
And the worst part?
The part that made her chest ache and her breath shake?
She wanted to do it again.
Valerian leaned in, his breath brushing against her ear.
"You're starting to understand, aren’t you?"
Lena didn’t answer.
She couldn’t.
Because the answer was yes.
And that terrified her more than anything.
- Writer
