Emily's POV

My heart pounded as I followed Alexander inside. I wasn't foolish-I knew exactly what kind of man he was. Possessive. Unrelenting. He would demand to know where I'd been.

Was I ready to tell him? I wasn't sure. But one thing was certain-I needed answers.

He pushed the door open, ever the gentleman, yet every movement carried the weight of control. His 6'4 frame loomed over my 5'4 one, a silent reminder of the power he wielded. Alexander wasn't the kind of man who blended into a crowd. He could be surrounded by a hundred people and still stand apart-commanding, untouchable.

His gaze burns into me, dark and unreadable, but the anger simmering beneath the surface is unmistakable. I should step back. I should put distance between us. But my body refuses to listen.

I should move. I should step back. But the moment Alexander's hand curls around the nape of my neck, my body freezes.

His grip is firm, unyielding-not painful, but a warning. A promise.

"You hate me, don't you?" His voice is low, dark, molten.

Yes. I do. I should shove him away. I should-

But his thumb drags over my bottom lip, pressing just enough to part it, and my breath stutters.

"Yet your body betrays you every time I touch you."

He doesn't need an answer. He already knows.

Before I can react, he moves. One hand grips my jaw, tilting my face up to him, while the other skims over my hip. He presses me against the wall, his body caging mine, heat radiating from him like a warning.

"Say it, Kotenok." His breath ghosts over my lips, stealing the air from my lungs. "Say you don't want this, and I'll stop."

A lie. He won't. But the sick part? I don't want him to.

His fingers slip beneath my shirt, dragging up my stomach-rough callouses against soft skin. I shudder, nails biting into his arms.

"That's what I thought."

Then his lips crash against mine-hot, demanding, punishing.

His tongue parts my lips, swallowing my gasp as his thigh slides between mine, forcing me to feel the unyielding hardness of him. I arch against him, desperate for friction, and his grip tightens like he knew I would.

"You run from me, but your body always knows who it belongs to." His voice drips with arrogance, with hunger, as his lips trail down my jaw, hot kisses turning into sharp bites.

I let out a broken sound when his hand moves lower, teasing the waistband of my pants.

"Tell me to stop." His voice is rough against my skin, lips trailing down my throat. "Or beg me to keep going."

I hate him. I hate how easily he makes me crave him.

But when he pulls back, teasing me with his absence, a needy sound escapes my throat before I can stop it.

His dark chuckle rumbles through me. "That wasn't a 'stop,' Kotenok."

I should push him away, fight him like I always do. But my body betrays me-hips tilting forward, seeking the friction I shouldn't need.

"Please." The word is barely a whisper, but he hears it.

I feel the shift in him-the way his grip tightens, the way his breath hitches.

"Louder." His fingers dip beneath my waistband, just enough to tease, but not enough to give me what I need.

"Beg me properly, Kotenok." His teeth graze my ear, his other hand gripping my hip, holding me in place as I writhe against him.

I should resist. I should fight.

Instead, I tilt my head back, exposing my throat to him, my voice wrecked as I whisper, "Please, Alex... don't stop."

His groan is deep, primal, his control snapping as he rips my shirt over my head.

"I wasn't planning to."

I suck in a sharp breath, my hips tilting toward him instinctively. His low chuckle is pure arrogance, pure control.

"Look at you," he whispers, voice thick with dark amusement. "You beg so sweetly, Kotenok. Desperate for me."

His eyes darken as they rake over my body, pausing at the thin scrap of lace covering my chest.

He drags a thumb over the strap of my bra, teasing, toying. "Pretty," he murmurs, his voice deceptively soft. "But unnecessary."

Before I can react, his fingers tighten-then rip.

The lace gives way with a sharp tear, falling away in tatters, exposing me completely. A startled gasp escapes me, my arms instinctively moving to cover myself, but Alexander doesn't allow it.

"No," he growls, seizing my wrists and pinning them above my head against the wall. His grip is firm, unyielding. His gaze flickers with something dark, something possessive, as he drinks in the sight of me-bare, vulnerable, completely at his mercy.

"Mine," he murmurs, almost to himself. Then, his mouth is on me-hot, demanding, claiming.

His lips close around my nipple, tongue flicking, sucking, owning. I arch against him, a broken moan slipping past my lips as pleasure rips through me. His free hand trails down my stomach, slipping beneath my waistband once more, fingers ghosting over the heat between my thighs.

"No more running, Kotenok," he rasps against my skin. "I'll break you before I ever let you go."

And God help me, I believe him.

His mouth crashes into mine, swallowing my moan as his hand slides lower, fingers slipping between my thighs. My body jolts at the contact, heat pooling deep in my core as he strokes me through the fabric.

"So wet for someone you claim to hate," he murmurs against my lips, his fingers pressing just right, making me whimper.

I should fight him, push him away. But when his fingers press more firmly, stroking slow, calculated circles against my aching core, all logic dissolves. A gasp escapes me, my body betraying me as I press into his touch.

"That's it," he breathes, his lips trailing down my throat, teeth grazing my pulse. His other hand slides up my stomach, fingertips teasing the underside of my breast.

Heat coils inside me, unbearable, consuming. I grip his shoulders, my nails biting into his skin as his fingers continue their torturous rhythm.

"Say it," he demands, his voice dark and possessive. "Say you need me."

I squeeze my eyes shut, pride warring with need. But when he drags his fingers lower, teasing the edge of my underwear, I break.

"I need you." My voice is wrecked, desperate.

Alexander groans, his lips crashing back onto mine, devouring, claiming. His hand slips inside, fingers gliding over slick heat, sending a sharp jolt of pleasure through me.

I whimper into his mouth, and he growls, deep and raw. "You're mine, Emily. No matter how much you fight it, your body knows the truth."

And the worst part? He's right.

His fingers move with slow, devastating precision, stroking me in a rhythm that leaves me gasping, trembling against him. My nails dig into his shoulders, my body arching as pleasure coils tight in my core.

"That's it, Kotenok," Alexander murmurs, his voice thick with possession. "Feel me. Let go."

I bite my lip, trying to hold back the moan threatening to spill, but he notices. He always notices.

"Don't you dare hold back from me," he growls, his fingers pressing harder, faster, coaxing me to the edge.

Heat surges through me, a fire I can't contain, my body betraying me completely. My breath shatters as waves of pleasure crash over me, my thighs trembling as his grip tightens, keeping me pinned against him while I come undone in his hands.

A sharp, satisfied chuckle escapes him as he slows his movements, drawing out every last tremor.

And then, he pulls his hand away.

I'm still breathless, dazed, when he lifts his fingers in front of my face-glistening with proof of my release.

His smirk is slow, dangerous, possessive.

"You've made a mess, Kotenok." His voice is smooth, dark, filled with wicked amusement. "Now clean it."

Heat floods my face, but his gaze pins me in place.

He presses the pad of his finger against my bottom lip, smearing it with my own desire. My stomach tightens as his eyes darken, watching my every reaction, waiting.

"Open."

The command is low, firm. A warning.

I hesitate for half a second, and that's all it takes. His free hand grips my jaw, fingers pressing just enough to part my lips as he slides his fingers inside.

I gasp around them, my tongue instinctively brushing against his skin, tasting myself. And then I softly suck on his fingers. A deep, guttural groan rumbles from his chest, his pupils blown wide with hunger.

"Good girl."

And the worst part? I crave him even more.

It happens all at once. The overwhelming weight of everything I've endured-the captivity, the forced submission, the suffocating knowledge that no matter how much I fight, I'll never truly be free of him. Of Alexander.

And now, the brutal thought digs its claws into me, tearing me apart from the inside out.

I'm just another girl to him.

Just like the others before me.

The realization crashes over me like a tidal wave, drowning me in a helplessness I can't control. My vision blurs, and before I know it, hot tears spill down my cheeks, silent at first-then uncontrollable.

I try to push him away, try to claw back even the smallest ounce of control, but my body betrays me. My hands shake, my breath comes in broken gasps, and I can't stop it. I can't stop it.

"Are you going to get rid of me too?" My voice is nothing more than a whisper, but in the stillness, it sounds deafening.

Alexander stills.

The tension in the room shifts, sharp and immediate. His body, once so full of raw, brutal possession, goes eerily still-like a predator right before the strike.

"What?" His voice is low, dark, unreadable.

I don't look at him. I don't want to.

"You used me." The words tremble as they leave my lips, my chest tightening with something I don't understand. "Just like the others."

Silence.

Then-he moves.

Before I can react, his arms wrap around me, pulling me in with an intensity that steals my breath. A strangled sound escapes me as he lifts me effortlessly, my legs instinctively wrapping around his waist.

But he doesn't toss me aside. He doesn't let go.

Instead, he carries me across the room, his grip unyielding yet secure, and lowers us onto the couch, pulling me onto his lap like I belong there. Like I've always belonged there.

I'm shaking. My body curls into itself, smaller, smaller, until I feel like I might disappear entirely.

He notices.

His fingers slide beneath my chin, forcing me to look at him. Not rough, not violent-just firm.

"Who told you that?" His voice is low, gravelly, but beneath it, there's something else. Something dangerous. "That I throw them away?"

A bitter laugh pushes past my lips. "I'm not blind, Alexander."

His jaw clenches. His fingers tighten.

"You think I'd let you go?" His voice drops, a dark promise laced with something raw. "That I'd ever be done with you?"

The worst part?

I don't know what I want his answer to be.

Tears stream down my face, hot and relentless, and before I can stop myself, a small, broken sob escapes me.

Something inside me cracks-shatters. My body folds in on itself, hands curling into fists as I press my forehead against his chest. I feel small, vulnerable. Like a child.

And then-his arms tighten.

It's not a cage. Not a threat.

It's something I don't understand.

Something warm. Something safe.

"Shh, Kotenok," he murmurs, his lips brushing the top of my head. "Enough."

But I can't stop.

I fist his shirt, burying myself into him as sobs wrack my body, each one shaking me to my core. I feel lost. Scared. Broken in ways I don't know how to fix.

He doesn't speak for a long time. He just holds me.

When he finally does, his voice is quiet-softer than I've ever heard it.

"There was no one besides you."

I freeze.

My breath hitches, my body going still against his.

"As much as I hate to admit it," he exhales, his grip tightening, "I'm no saint. But I've never-" He stops himself, jaw flexing. "I've never gotten so obsessed with someone that I couldn't seem to breathe."

His hand slides into my hair, fingers curling at the base of my skull, holding me there.

"But you, Kotenok..." His voice drops, thick with something deeper. Something real. "You drive me insane."

I don't know what to say.

I don't know how to process any of this.

So I do the only thing I can.

I let him hold me.

Well, that was intense. Alexander's possessiveness is on another level, and Emily? She's barely holding on.

What do you think will happen next? Will Emily fight back, or will Alex pull her even deeper into his world?

Remember to vote and comment-I love hearing your thoughts! And don't even think about stealing my work... Alex doesn't take kindly to thieves.

Stay dark. ♥︎♥︎♥︎