Chapter 7
1095 Words
Chapter 7: The Thing Inside Me
The cold woke me before the pain did.
It wasn’t the kind of cold you could escape by curling into yourself. It seeped into my bones, settled in my chest, and refused to leave. The stone beneath me was hard, unforgiving. Damp. I could feel it through the thin fabric still clinging to my body.
For a moment, I didn’t move.
I just breathed.
Slow. Careful. Like if I inhaled too deeply, everything that had happened would crash back into me all at once.
But it came anyway.
The auction.
Silas.
The rejection.
Dominic.
And then… the way he had touched me.
My fingers curled against the floor as heat flickered low in my stomach, confusing and unwanted. My body betrayed me, remembering something my heart still didn’t understand.
I forced myself to sit up.
The room was small. A cell. Iron bars. No windows. Just a single flickering light somewhere beyond the corridor. Shadows clung to the corners like they belonged there.
So this was the North Cell.
A bitter laugh caught in my throat.
From Luna-to-be… to prisoner.
From mate… to nothing.
My chest tightened, but this time, I didn’t cry.
No.
Something inside me had shifted.
Broken… yes.
But also harder.
Stronger.
I pushed myself to my feet, ignoring the weakness in my legs. My hand brushed against the iron bars—and I froze.
The moment my skin touched the metal…
Something pulsed.
I jerked back.
“What…?”
I stared at my hand. Nothing. No wound. No mark.
But I had felt it.
Like a current.
Like something inside me had reached out… and answered.
My breathing quickened.
“No… no, that’s not possible…”
I stepped closer again, slower this time. My fingers hovered over the bars before finally touching them.
This time, I was ready.
The reaction was immediate.
A sharp, electric sensation shot up my arm. Not painful—but powerful. The metal trembled faintly beneath my fingers.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
The light outside flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then steadied.
I stumbled back, my breath coming faster now.
“What is happening to me…?”
My body felt wrong.
Too hot. Too alive. Like something had woken up and didn’t know how to stay quiet anymore.
A low hum filled my ears.
And then—
A voice.
Not outside.
Inside.
Faint. Distant. Like it was calling from somewhere deep beneath my skin.
I pressed my hands against my ears.
“Stop…”
But it didn’t.
It grew louder.
My vision blurred—and then suddenly—
My reflection caught in the polished surface of the metal.
I froze.
My eyes—
They weren’t the same.
For a split second… they flashed.
Not brown.
Gold.
Bright. Glowing. Unnatural.
I gasped and stumbled back, my heart racing wildly.
“No… no… what is that…?”
The glow vanished as quickly as it came.
Leaving me shaking.
Breathless.
Terrified.
And for the first time…
Curious.
Footsteps echoed down the corridor.
Heavy. Measured. Familiar.
My body reacted before my mind did.
Dominic.
The door to the cell opened with a harsh metallic sound.
He stepped in like he owned the air itself.
Dark. Controlled. Untouchable.
Like the man from the car had never existed.
His eyes found mine instantly.
Cold.
Unreadable.
“You’re awake.”
No concern.
No softness.
Nothing.
Anger flared inside me—sharp and sudden.
“You threw me in a cell.”
My voice came out hoarse but steady.
His gaze didn’t change.
“You were a problem that needed to be contained.”
Something in my chest snapped.
“I’m not your problem,” I shot back. “And I’m definitely not something you get to throw away when you’re done.”
The air shifted.
Dangerous.
His eyes darkened slightly.
“Careful,” he said quietly.
I should have stopped.
I didn’t.
“You bought me,” I continued, my voice rising. “You said I wasn’t a debt anymore. And then you treated me like one the second it became inconvenient.”
In two steps, he was in front of me.
Too close.
Too fast.
His hand shot out, gripping my jaw—not painfully, but firmly enough to hold me still.
“Do not mistake temporary interest for mercy,” he murmured.
But the moment his skin touched mine—
Everything changed.
The bond snapped into place.
Harder. Stronger than before.
A surge of heat rushed through me, stealing my breath.
His fingers tightened slightly.
And for the first time—
Dominic reacted.
His control slipped.
Just a fraction.
His golden eyes flickered.
His breathing deepened.
Like he felt it too.
“What… are you?” he whispered, more to himself than to me.
My heart pounded.
“I don’t know…”
And that was the truth.
But something inside me did.
Something ancient.
Something powerful.
Something… waking up.
His gaze sharpened.
He leaned closer, inhaling deeply.
Then his expression changed.
Not desire.
Not anger.
Recognition.
Impossible recognition.
“Your scent…” he said slowly.
Before he could finish—
The door slammed open.
Viktor stepped in, his usual composure gone.
“Sire.”
Dominic didn’t turn.
“What is it?”
Viktor hesitated.
That alone was enough to shift the tension.
“There’s… someone at the gates.”
Dominic’s grip on me tightened slightly.
“Who?”
Viktor’s voice dropped.
“Not someone, Sire.”
A pause.
Then—
“Something powerful.”
The room seemed to still.
Even the air held its breath.
Dominic finally released me and turned.
His posture changed instantly.
King.
Dangerous.
Ready.
“Explain.”
Viktor swallowed.
“The guards couldn’t stop them. They didn’t even try.”
A chill ran down my spine.
Dominic’s eyes flickered—calculation, recognition… and something darker.
“Describe them.”
Viktor hesitated again.
Then said:
“They said… their eyes were gold.”
My heart stopped.
Dominic slowly turned back to me.
This time, there was no hiding what burned in his gaze.
Shock.
Possession.
And something dangerously close to realization.
Before either of us could speak—
A deep, powerful voice echoed through the halls.
Calm.
Cold.
Unstoppable.
“She belongs to us.”
My blood ran cold.
Dominic stepped forward, placing himself between me and the door.
Territorial.
Lethal.
“No one takes what is mine,” he growl
ed.
The footsteps grew louder.
Closer.
And then—
The figure appeared at the doorway.
Tall.
Unfamiliar.
Terrifyingly calm.
Their golden eyes locked onto mine.
And they smiled.
“Found you.”
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