Mine to Protect
1823 Words
HELLO LOVELIES!!! ✨
Thank you for the insane love on the last chapter 😭💖
Things are about to get darker… and a little dangerous.
(Don’t mind small dialogue mix-ups, I’ll edit later.)
Phase – I
★★★
AARA
Unknown Location Night
The gunshot echoed through the room, sharp and violent, cutting through the thick tension like a blade.
For a second, everything froze.
My breath.
My thoughts.
Even the air felt still.
Then reality snapped back all at once.
Arjun stood at the doorway, gun raised, his chest rising and falling slowly like he had just walked through hell to get here aand maybe he had. There was blood on his sleeve, more than before, darker now, fresh.
His eyes didn’t look at me first.
They went straight to Raghav.
Locked.
Cold.
Deadly.
“Move away from her.”
His voice was quiet.
Too quiet.
The kind of quiet that made it more dangerous than shouting.
Raghav didn’t move.
Instead, he smiled.
Like he had been expecting this.
“Right on time,” he said lightly, glancing at the gun pointed at him. “I was starting to think you’d disappoint me.”
Arjun didn’t react to the sarcasm.
He took a step forward.
Then another.
Each movement controlled. Calculated.
“If you touch her again,” he said, “I won’t miss.”
Raghav chuckled softly.
“That’s funny,” he replied. “Because neither do I.”
The tension between them snapped tighter.
I could feel it.
Like the entire room was seconds away from exploding again.
“Untie her,” Arjun said.
It wasn’t a request.
Raghav tilted his head slightly.
“And if I don’t?”
Another step forward.
Another shift in the air.
“Then I start with your men,” Arjun replied calmly. “One by one.”
The threat wasn’t loud.
It didn’t need to be.
Because something in his tone said he meant every word.
Raghav studied him for a second.
Then slowly…
He stood up.
“No need to be dramatic,” he said.
He stepped back from me, raising his hands slightly in mock surrender.
But his eyes never left mine.
“Don’t worry,” he added softly. “I’m not done with you yet.”
My chest tightened.
I hated the way he said that.
Hated the certainty in his voice.
Before I could respond, Arjun crossed the distance between us in seconds.
The ropes around my wrists were cut quickly.
Too quickly.
Like he didn’t want to waste even a second.
The moment I was free, I pulled my hands back instinctively, rubbing my wrists.
But I didn’t get far.
Because Arjun’s hand wrapped around my arm.
Firm.
Steady.
Grounding.
“Are you hurt?”
The question came low.
Controlled.
But there was something under it.
Something I hadn’t heard before.
I shook my head slightly.
“I’m fine.”
His jaw tightened like he didn’t fully believe me.
But he didn’t push.
Not right now.
Instead, he pulled me slightly behind him.
Shielding me.
Positioning himself between me and Raghav again.
Possessive.
Protective.
Dangerous.
Raghav noticed it.
Of course he did.
A slow smile spread across his face.
“There it is,” he murmured.
Arjun didn’t respond.
“What?” I asked before I could stop myself.
Raghav’s gaze flickered to me briefly.
“His weakness.”
“I’m not
“You are,” Arjun cut in sharply.
The words came out before I could finish.
I froze.
So did he.
For a split second, the room went completely silent.
Like even Arjun hadn’t meant to say it out loud.
But it was too late.
The words were already there.
Hanging between us.
Heavy.
Real.
Raghav laughed softly.
“That was easy,” he said.
Arjun’s grip on my arm tightened slightly.
“Shut up.”
“No,” Raghav replied calmly. “This is the interesting part.”
His eyes darkened slightly.
“You finally admit it.”
Arjun’s expression hardened again instantly.
“Say one more word
“Or what?” Raghav challenged.
The air shifted again.
Dangerous.
Unstable.
Then suddenly
More footsteps echoed outside the room.
Fast.
Urgent.
One of Arjun’s men appeared at the doorway.
“Sir, we need to move.”
Arjun didn’t look away from Raghav.
“Clear the perimeter.”
“It’s not safe
“I said clear it.”
The man nodded quickly and disappeared.
Arjun stepped closer to Raghav now.
Too close.
The kind of close that meant violence.
“If you come near her again,” he said quietly, “I won’t just kill you.”
Raghav’s smile faded slightly.
“I’ll make sure you regret it first.”
That wasn’t a threat.
It was a promise.
Raghav held his gaze for a second longer.
Then suddenly…
He stepped back.
“Not tonight,” he said.
My brows furrowed.
What?
“You’re letting us go?” I asked.
He looked at me again.
And for a moment…
That strange intensity returned.
“You think this is over?”
My stomach tightened.
“No,” he continued softly. “This is just beginning.”
Before anyone could react
He moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
One second he was standing there.
The next
Gone.
Disappeared through the back exit like he had planned it all perfectly.
Arjun didn’t chase him.
He didn’t move.
He just stood there for a second.
Still.
Silent.
Then something in him snapped.
“Search every exit,” he ordered sharply. “I want him found.”
His men rushed instantly.
The room emptied quickly.
And suddenly…
It was just us.
Again.
But the silence now felt different.
Heavier.
More personal.
I pulled my arm slightly from his grip.
“You could’ve stopped him.”
Arjun looked at me.
“Not without risking you.”
The answer came immediately.
No hesitation.
That caught me off guard.
“You don’t even know me,” I said.
“I know enough.”
“That doesn’t explain this,” I snapped. “Why are you acting like
“Like what?”
I stopped.
Because I didn’t have the right word.
Protective?
Possessive?
Something else entirely?
“This,” I said instead, gesturing between us. “This doesn’t make sense.”
Arjun watched me quietly.
Then he said something that made my chest tighten again.
“It doesn’t have to.”
“That’s not how this works.”
“It is now.”
I let out a frustrated breath.
“You can’t just decide things for me.”
“I already did.”
My eyes narrowed.
“You’re unbelievable.”
“And you’re alive,” he replied.
That shut me up.
For a second.
Only a second.
“This isn’t protection,” I said. “This is control.”
“No,” he corrected calmly. “This is survival.”
Silence stretched again.
Then I said quietly
“He said I wasn’t the target.”
Arjun’s expression changed slightly.
Just a flicker.
But I saw it.
“You heard that?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
“And I want to know what that means.”
He looked away for a moment.
Thinking.
Then back at me.
“It means,” he said slowly, “you’re involved in something bigger than you think.”
“That’s not helpful.”
“It’s the truth.”
I shook my head.
“No, the truth is you know more than you’re telling me.”
His jaw tightened.
“Not enough.”
“Try me.”
For a second, it looked like he might actually say something.
Like he was considering it.
Then his phone buzzed again.
Of course.
He checked it quickly.
And whatever he saw…
Changed everything.
“What now?” I asked.
He didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he looked at me.
Carefully.
Like he was deciding something again.
Then he said
“We’re leaving.”
“Leaving where?”
“Somewhere safer.”
I let out a small laugh.
“Safer than this?”
“Yes.”
“That’s comforting.”
He stepped closer suddenly.
Too close.
Close enough that I could feel the heat from his body.
Close enough that my breath hitched slightly.
“You almost died tonight,” he said quietly.
“I noticed.”
“And you still think this is a joke?”
“I don’t think it’s a joke,” I replied, holding his gaze. “I just don’t trust you.”
Something flickered in his eyes.
Not anger.
Something else.
“Good,” he said.
That surprised me.
“What?”
“Trust gets people killed.”
The words settled between us.
Heavy.
Honest.
Before I could respond, he reached for my wrist again.
But this time…
It felt different.
Not forceful.
Not controlling.
Something else.
Something that made my chest tighten in a way I didn’t understand.
“Come on,” he said.
I didn’t pull away this time.
I followed.
And that scared me more than anything.
Because for the first time since this started…
I didn’t know if I was doing it because I had no choice.
Or because some part of me wanted to.
Outside Minutes Later
The night air hit my face again as we stepped outside.
More guards.
More cars.
More tension.
Arjun opened the door for me again.
I hesitated for a second.
Then got in.
He followed.
The car started moving almost immediately.
Silence filled the space again.
But this time…
It felt different.
Heavier.
Closer.
I glanced at him briefly.
Then away.
Then back again.
“Why me?” I asked quietly.
Arjun didn’t answer immediately.
His gaze stayed forward.
Then slowly…
He said
“Because you survived.”
That wasn’t the answer I expected.
“Lots of people survive accidents.”
“Not that one.”
Something in his tone made my chest tighten again.
“What does that mean?”
He turned his head slightly.
Looking at me properly.
And for the first time…
There was no anger in his eyes.
No control.
Just something raw.
Unfiltered.
“People who were meant to die that night…” he said quietly, “…didn’t.”
My breath caught.
“What?”
“And people who weren’t supposed to be there…”
A pause.
“…didn’t leave.”
My heart started beating faster.
“What are you saying?”
But before he could answer
His phone buzzed again.
He checked it.
And this time…
His expression turned completely cold.
“What?” I asked.
He showed me the screen.
A message.
Unknown number.
Just one line.
“You finally found her.”
My blood ran cold.
And then another message appeared.
Right under it.
“But you still don’t know who she really is.”
I looked up at Arjun.
Slowly.
My heart pounding.
“What does that mean?”
He didn’t answer.
Because for the first time…
He looked unsure.
And that scared me more than anything.
- Writer
