Damien's pov

( Didn't add the details it's in past chapter this is just Damien's thoughts)

The moment Mikhail’s laughter rang through the office, Damien’s grip on the armrest of his chair tightened to the point that the leather creaked in protest. Every muscle in his body tensed as he watched the way Mikhail’s gaze lingered on Luca, his sharp eyes dragging over Luca’s form like he was something to be appraised—something that didn’t belong to Damien.

Luca, my Luca, standing there like a cornered animal, his eyes darting between me and Mikhail, hesitant yet defiant.

Mikhail leaned back in his chair, an arrogant smirk twisting his lips. “A pretty little lawyer, caught in a den of criminals,” he mused. “I must say, Damien, you always did have an eye for... exquisite things.” His gaze flickered back to Luca, and Damien saw the flicker of discomfort in those golden eyes—his Luca’s golden eyes.

A slow, dangerous burn ignited in Damien’s chest. He wanted to kill him. He wanted to wrap his fingers around Mikhail’s throat and squeeze until that smug amusement drained from his face. He wanted to carve the knowledge into Mikhail’s skin: Luca was his. His to own, his to keep, his to break if he pleased. No one else had the right to look at him like that.

A sharp exhale from Damien’s nose. His vision darkened with rage, his fingers flexing with the need to put Mikhail through the nearest wall. He could hear Luca’s breathing, the shallow rise and fall of his chest. He knew Luca could feel the tension suffocating the room, but he didn’t step back, didn’t move toward Damien like he should have. Like he belonged.

Damien took a slow, deliberate step forward. “You forget yourself, Mikhail.” His voice was low, venomous. “Luca isn’t for admiration.”

Mikhail’s grin widened. “Ah, so possessive.” He leaned forward, eyes gleaming with amusement. “But does he know? Does he understand exactly what kind of beast has him in its jaws?”

Damien’s entire body burned with the need to rip the amusement right out of Mikhail’s throat. But he couldn’t—not yet. Not with Luca watching, not when he needed control more than anything.

Instead, he exhaled slowly, stepping between Luca and Mikhail, shielding what was his. Without looking, he reached back, his fingers curling around Luca’s wrist in a bruising grip. A silent statement, a warning, a claim.

Luca stiffened but didn’t pull away.

Mikhail just laughed. “Ah, I see. He’s already been trained.”

Damien’s grip tightened just enough for Luca to inhale sharply, but his voice remained steady when he finally spoke. “I think we’re done here, Mikhail.”

The amusement in Mikhail’s eyes didn’t fade, but he stood, adjusting his suit as he stepped around the desk. “For now,” he said lightly. “But I think I’d quite like to see more of your pretty little lawyer.”

Damien didn’t even realize he was moving until Luca’s startled gasp registered in his ears. Mikhail barely had time to react before Damien’s fist connected with his face, sending him sprawling back against the desk. The sound of breaking glass shattered the tension, followed by a sharp, delighted laugh from Mikhail, even as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

“Oh, Damien.” He wiped at the blood, eyes gleaming with dark amusement. “You really are just an animal when it comes to your little pet, aren’t you?”

Damien barely restrained himself from lunging again. Instead, he turned sharply, dragging Luca with him as he stormed out of the office, his pulse roaring in his ears. He didn’t stop until they were alone, until the doors slammed shut behind them and it was just the two of them in the dimly lit hallway.

Luca exhaled shakily. “Damien—”

Damien didn’t give him the chance to finish. He pressed Luca against the wall, caging him in, his breath hot against Luca’s ear. “Do you see what you do to me?” he growled, voice low and seething. “Do you see what happens when anyone even looks at you?”

Luca shivered, his breath hitching. “Damien—”

“Mine,” Damien snarled. “Say it.”

Luca hesitated, and Damien’s grip tightened on his chin, forcing him to meet his gaze. “Say it, Luca.”

For a long, tense moment, Luca’s lips parted—but no sound came out. His eyes, those beautiful golden eyes, were filled with something unreadable, something between defiance and surrender.

Damien would make him say it.

No matter what it took.

*****

(After , Damien dragged him out of office to room , ).

As soon as the door shut, the suffocating silence in the room thickened. Damien stood motionless, his hands clenched into fists so tight his knuckles turned white. His entire body radiated raw, restrained fury—a beast barely kept in check.

Luca stood near the door, his breathing shallow, his heart hammering against his ribs. He had seen Damien angry before, but this was different. This wasn’t just anger. This was something much darker, more violent—a slow-burning rage that would demand blood.

"Come here, Luca," Damien's voice was low, deceptively calm. It was the kind of calm that promised a storm.

Luca hesitated, knowing there was no escape, but some stubborn part of him still resisted. That tiny defiance only made Damien's control slip further. In one swift motion, he closed the distance between them, grabbing Luca by the chin, forcing him to look into his eyes.

"He dared to look at you," Damien seethed, his thumb brushing over Luca’s trembling lips. "Dared to speak your name. Do you have any idea what that means in my world?"

Luca swallowed hard, trying to maintain his composure. "I didn’t do anything—"

Damien’s grip tightened. "I don’t care. He saw you. That’s enough. Now I have to remind him, and you, who you belong to."

He leaned in, pressing his forehead against Luca’s, his breath hot and unsteady. "You think running away would save you? If my men hadn’t caught you, Mikhail would have. And then you'd be in his hands, at his mercy. Do you know what he does to pretty little things that intrigue him?"

Luca shivered. He had no doubt Mikhail was just as cruel, if not worse.

"You should be thanking me, but instead, you keep testing me," Damien continued, his lips brushing over Luca’s ear, voice thick with dangerous amusement. "I should punish you, but right now, I need to deal with him first. You made a mess, and now I have to clean it up."

He pulled back and cupped Luca's face almost tenderly. "Stay here. Don’t move. Don’t breathe the wrong way. Because when I come back, we’re going to have a very long conversation about obedience."

With that, Damien turned and strode out, leaving Luca alone ..

*****