Control
1293 Words
Blake POV
Daylight rarely meant peace for me, not truly, but this morning carried an unfamiliar quiet. A strange calm threaded through my chest — the lingering echo of her scent, her warmth, her soft breath against me the night before. It was enough to keep the curse dormant just long enough to move her.
Carefully, I lifted the little wolf — still sleeping — and placed her back into her cage. Morning light filtered through my chamber windows, painting her small form in gold. My shirt was still wrapped around her, far too large, swallowing her slight frame. It carried her scent now too. Sweet. Warm. Mine.
Blaze growled deep within me. I hate leaving her.
“It’ll draw attention if we stay,” I muttered, knowing all too well the hungry eyes of the court — and the ambition burning in my brother’s. If he sensed I had something precious… or someone…
We could not risk it.
The walk across the training grounds felt endless. Dragons roared in the distance, their bodies tearing through the sky, but none of it eased the pressure coiling in my chest. Every heartbeat seemed to echo with her scent.
Our mate, Blaze whispered.
“I know.”
And that terrified me more than the curse ever had.
I remained first in line for the throne only because the king needed me — and because my brother had not yet found the right moment to strike. Enemies stalked the shadows. Allies were thin. Even the ground beneath me felt uncertain.
But my body… my strength…
After one night near her, I felt like the warrior I had been decades ago.
“Do you plan on using her?” Blaze asked, though he already knew the answer.
“It depends on her safety,” I replied, turning away from the training field. “Nothing else.”
The day dragged on, every hour scraping at my patience. By the time the sky darkened, madness began its familiar crawl beneath my skin — claws scraping, fire rising, nerves screaming for relief.
I returned to my chambers with a predator’s urgency.
She was awake, sitting up on the small bed inside her cage, trembling slightly as she sensed my presence.
I knocked once — giving her warning — before entering.
“She’s still afraid,” I murmured to Blaze.
She has every right to be.
“Little wolf,” I said softly, stepping into the shimmering barrier around the cage, “stand.”
She obeyed, legs shaking.
“Are you putting me in the chair?” she whispered.
“No,” I answered, touching her shoulders lightly. “Not tonight. You don’t heal as fast.”
Her breath hitched. “But… I’m supposed to.”
I paused. The innocence in her voice sent a sharp pang through me — desire, yes, but something more dangerous.
Possession.
Need.
“Do you want what I did last night?” I asked, watching the way she swallowed, the way her hands clenched at her sides.
“I don’t want you to reject me,” she breathed.
I cupped her chin gently. “I have no intention of it. Tonight, we do things differently.”
She flinched when I lifted the shirt over her head, covering herself instinctively.
I stopped her hands with a soft touch.
“Don’t hide, little one. You’re beautiful.”
Even trembling, she obeyed me.
“Did the chair hurt you?” I asked.
“No.”
“Good.” I retrieved lengths of silk from the drawer — soft, smooth, quiet. “These will replace cuffs tonight.”
Her breath hitched again.
I wrapped the silk carefully, binding her arms to her sides, another securing her lower body. This was control — but gentler, intimate in a way chains never were.
I lifted her onto the bed.
I shed my own shirt, but kept the rest of me clothed. If I removed more… I might not be able to stop. Even now, heat roared under my skin, the curse clawing for control.
“What are you going to use on me?” she whispered.
“No toys tonight,” I reassured her. “Not unless you disobey.”
The drawer creaked as I opened it again, pulling out a bottle of oil. Lavender filled the air. Her body tensed.
“Tonight you may talk,” I murmured. “Answer when I ask.”
I warmed the oil between my hands before touching her. Her skin shuddered beneath my palms, a soft moan breaking free before she could stop it.
“Do you like being touched here?” I whispered against her ear.
A long pause.
Then—“Yes.”
“Good girl.”
My voice deepened as I worked the oil into her skin, tracing slow circles, teasing reactions from her she couldn’t hide. I asked about her past — where she came from, who had cared for her — as I memorized every tremor beneath my hands.
She spoke of running, of falling, of waking to an old rogue who had saved her.
Of memories sliced to ribbons by trauma.
Her voice cracked when she spoke of punishments.
Nights spent kneeling.
Starving.
Freezing.
My jaw clenched until I tasted blood.
“You were harmed before you came here,” I said quietly.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Who caused your bruises?”
“Some from the warriors. Some from the rogue leader.”
Her voice trembled. “He punished us when I failed.”
“You’re thin because of them,” I murmured, fury shaking my breath. “And cold because your wolf has not awakened.”
Her fingers brushed mine, almost accidental. “You’re warm.”
“Yes,” I said. “I’ll keep you warm, little wolf. Always.”
My hands drifted lower—
Her breath caught—
Heat flared between us like a spark to dry grass—
And I stopped.
Barely.
Just barely.
I dragged in a ragged breath, standing abruptly before I lost my grip entirely.
If I continued, I would claim her.
She wasn’t ready.
And I… I was too far gone.
“Stay still,” I said softly.
I untied the silk and replaced it with cuffs — gentler ones. The links clicked softly above her head, keeping her restrained in the bed but not painfully.
“I promised no toys,” I reminded her. “But tonight, you stay here.”
I retrieved a small vial, uncorking it. A sweet herbal scent rose from it.
“Lift your head.”
She obeyed.
“Swallow.”
She did. The potion coated her tongue, warm and sugary. Within moments, her breath hitched. Her thighs pressed together. The cuffs rattled softly.
“I feel strange,” she moaned.
“I know,” I said, sitting beside her. “It will make your body… responsive. It’s the only way I can keep the curse at bay tonight.”
Her back arched.
The scent of her need flooded the room.
Heat roared up my spine like a wildfire.
“What did you do to me?” she whispered.
“A strong potion,” I murmured. “Your body will feel waves for hours. Enough to… ease the madness in me.”
Her breath trembled.
Her body writhed softly in the restraints.
Her scent filled my lungs until I was drowning in it.
She moaned again, low and helpless.
Blaze snarled inside me, barely contained.
I braced my hands on either side of her, leaning down until my breath brushed her ear.
“Little wolf,” I growled, voice thick with barely contained hunger, “I need you to stay very, very still.”
Her breath caught—
—and the world went dark.
- Writer
