TRAPPED UNDER HIS RULE
253 Words
Kael didn’t speak immediately.
But the silence between us changed.
It wasn’t calm anymore.
It was dangerous.
“You’re not leaving,” he said finally.
His voice was low.
Controlled.
But I could feel it beneath the surface.
That pressure.
That authority.
“I wasn’t asking for permission,” I replied.
His eyes darkened.
“You’re in no condition to move,” he said.
“I’ll manage.”
“You can barely sit up.”
“Then I’ll learn.”
Frustration flashed across his face.
“You’re being reckless.”
“No,” I said quietly. “I’m trying to survive.”
That hit him.
I saw it.
The slight pause.
The shift in his expression.
But it didn’t last.
“This is your home,” he said.
“No,” I replied immediately. “It’s your territory.”
Silence.
Sharp.
Uncomfortable.
“You belong here,” he added.
My chest tightened.
“I don’t belong anywhere I’m not safe.”
His jaw clenched.
“I told you I’ll fix this.”
“You said that before,” I reminded him.
“And it wasn’t fixed.”
The truth sat heavily between us.
Unavoidable.
“I’m leaving,” I said again, softer this time—but firmer.
His gaze locked onto mine.
“You won’t make it far.”
“Then I won’t stop trying.”
That was the moment something shifted completely.
Not in me.
In him.
And for the first time…
I realized—
He wasn’t just angry.
He was afraid.
- Writer
