The door slammed shut, sealing Selena in suffocating silence. Her breath came in ragged, uneven gasps, her throat raw from Damian’s grip. The queen’s final words echoed in her skull, gnawing at her like a relentless beast.
“The next time you see him… he will not hesitate to kill you.”
No.
She refused to believe it.
Selena braced herself against the cold stone floor, her arms trembling as she pushed up onto her knees. Every inch of her body ached, but the pain was nothing compared to the hollow dread settling in her chest.
Damian was gone—taken. But not lost. Not yet.
Her fingers curled into fists, nails digging into her palms. She forced herself to stand despite the way her limbs screamed in protest. The queen wanted her broken. She wanted Selena to crumble beneath the weight of fear
