Claimed by My Beastly Husband

Chapter 9 – Caught and Punished

The storm outside raged like her heart — furious, desperate, trapped. Seraphina’s breath came fast as she slipped through the darkened halls, the echo of thunder covering the frantic rhythm of her steps. Every creak of the mansion seemed to whisper her name, warning her to turn back.

But she couldn’t. Not this time.

She had spent weeks pretending, waiting, watching the guards change shifts and the servants retire for the night. Kael’s mansion was a prison wrapped in luxury — gilded cages and velvet chains. Yet even the most perfect cage couldn’t hold her spirit forever.

Her trembling fingers clutched the small pouch she’d hidden beneath her cloak — food, a bit of coin, a stolen key she had found in the study. Her heart pounded with a fragile, intoxicating hope.

Freedom. Just one gate away.

The rain slicked the cobblestone path as she slipped into the courtyard. Lightning split the sky, and for a fleeting second, the towering iron gates glistened before her like salvation.

She reached for the lock—

A hand seized her wrist.

The world froze.

The grip was strong, merciless, and achingly familiar.

“Going somewhere, little wife?” Kael’s voice was low, calm… too calm. That tone was far worse than anger.

Seraphina’s breath hitched as she turned to face him. The rain had soaked through his shirt, the fabric clinging to the hard lines of his chest, but his eyes—those dark, burning eyes—were colder than ice.

“I… I just needed air,” she stammered, voice trembling.

“Air,” he repeated, his lips curving in a humorless smile. “You planned your little walk with food, coin, and my key?”

Her silence was answer enough.

Kael’s jaw clenched, and he pulled her close, his hand pressing against the small of her back until she could feel his heartbeat — steady, powerful, terrifying.

“Do you have any idea what could have happened to you out there?” His voice was sharp, yet beneath the fury there was something else—fear, maybe, though it was buried deep. “The men who want what I own… they would have torn you apart before dawn.”

“I’d rather risk that than stay caged here!” The words burst from her lips before she could stop them. “You don’t own me, Kael!”

For a moment, silence hung heavy between them, broken only by the rain. Then his expression hardened.

“Don’t I?”

He dragged her back inside, ignoring her protests, his grip unyielding. The mansion doors slammed behind them like the jaws of a beast. The guards averted their eyes, fear written on their faces. They knew better than to interfere when Kael’s temper flared.

In the grand hall, Kael released her so abruptly that she stumbled. His voice was low, but each word struck like a lash.

“You defied me. You endangered yourself.”

“You imprisoned me,” she shot back, defiance burning through her fear. “What did you expect me to do—smile and wait for you to break me?”

Kael’s eyes darkened. He took a slow step toward her. “You think I want to break you, Seraphina?”

His voice had dropped to a whisper, raw and dangerous. “I am trying to keep you alive.”

“I never asked for your protection,” she spat.

He moved faster than she could react. His hand caught her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. “And yet you have it,” he growled. “Even when you don’t deserve it.”

Her heart thundered in her chest as tears burned her eyes. “Then punish me,” she whispered bitterly. “Isn’t that what beasts do?”

For a heartbeat, Kael froze — a war waging behind his eyes. Then, in one swift motion, he swept a vase from the table, sending it crashing to the floor. The sound shattered through the hall, startling them both.

When he spoke again, his voice trembled with restrained fury. “You mistake me for a monster, Seraphina. But perhaps it’s time you learn what one truly is.”

He turned sharply and gestured to the guards. “Lock every gate. Double the watch. She doesn’t leave this house again without my word.”

Then his gaze returned to her — fierce, wounded, unrelenting. “And you, wife, will face the consequences of your choices.”

He stormed from the room, leaving her trembling in the flickering candlelight, the echo of his boots fading down the corridor.

Her punishment came the next morning—not through violence, but through silence. Kael forbade her from leaving her chamber, stripped her of every luxury he had given. No servants. No freedom. No words. Only emptiness and the weight of her own defiance.

For days, she saw nothing of him. The isolation gnawed at her, yet part of her refused to yield.

Then, one night, she heard the door unlock.

Kael entered, his face shadowed, his eyes unreadable. He said nothing for a long while. Finally, he spoke softly—almost painfully.

“Every time you try to run, you destroy a piece of me I thought was unbreakable.”

Seraphina’s throat tightened. “Then let me go, Kael. If you truly care—”

He stepped closer, shaking his head. “No. Because the world outside is crueler than I’ll ever be.”

He turned to leave, then paused by the door. “You are not my prisoner, Seraphina… but you will not run from me again.”

When the door closed behind him, Seraphina sank to the floor, torn between fury and confusion.

The beast had punished her—but not as she had feared. And for the first time, she realized that his cruelty was not born of hate, but of a desperate need to protect what he already claimed as his.

And perhaps that frightened her most of all.