𝙱𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝙸𝚗 𝚂𝚑𝚊𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚜

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 07: 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚆𝚎𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝙾𝚋𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎

---

Days passed, and the air between Elara and Darius grew

heavier with the unspoken tension of their new

arrangement. He was always near-sometimes

watching, sometimes just a flicker of presence in her

mind-but she could never fully escape him. And while

she had traded her freedom for protection, Elara was

starting to feel like a prisoner.

One evening, Darius appeared in her apartment without

warning, as he often did now. His arrival no longer

startled her, but the intensity of his gaze did. There was

something different in his eyes tonight-something

darker, more demanding.

"Elara," he said softly, but there was no warmth in his

voice. "It's time you learned what it means to be bound

to me."

Her heart thudded in her chest. "What do you mean?"

Darius stepped closer, his tall frame towering over her,

his shadow swallowing the room. He reached out, his

hand brushing against her cheek, but it wasn't gentle. It

was possessive. His touch sent a strange mix of fear and

heat through her veins.

"I have protected you, kept the creatures that seek to

devour you at bay," he said, his voice low and smooth.

"But there are rules, Elara. Rules that you must follow

now."

"Rules?" Her voice was barely a whisper.

His hand slid down her arm, his fingers cool against her

skin. "You will obey me. In everything."

Her pulse quickened, panic rising within her. "Obey you?

Darius, I-"

"You belong to me," he interrupted, his tone sharp. "Your

life is mine, remember?"

She swallowed hard, fear mingling with a strange,

unbidden attraction. Darius was a force-dark,

powerful, and utterly dangerous. But he had saved her,

protected her when no one else could. How could she

deny the pull he had over her?

"I don't understand what you want from me," she

admitted, her voice trembling.

Darius's eyes darkened, his grip on her arm tightening. "I

want your trust. Your submission. I want you to

remember who you belong to. You are bound to me,

Elara, and that means you will do as I say."

Her mind spun with the weight of his words, and her

body trembled under his gaze. "What if I don't?"

The corner of his mouth lifted in a dangerous smile. "You

don't have a choice."

His words hit her like a blow. She had signed the

contract, given him her life, and now there was no way

out. The realization settled over her like a suffocating

blanket.

Darius's hand slid down to her wrist, pulling her closer

until their bodies nearly touched. "I will keep you safe,

Elara," he whispered, his breath hot against her ear. "But

you must obey."

Her throat tightened, but she nodded, unable to deny

him. Because deep down, she knew he was right. The

shadows that had hunted her were nothing compared to

the storm she was now entangled in.

Darius had claimed her.

And there was no turning back.

---