Chapter 10 CHAPTER 10
He released the broken chain, letting the metal fall away from my wrist as if it had never mattered. For a moment, his hand lingered close, the warmth of it still brushing against my skin, before he stepped back.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
He straightened to his full height, placing his hands behind his back in that same controlled, almost human way, as if he hadn’t just snapped iron apart with ease. The distance between us returned, but it didn’t make me feel safer.
If anything, it made it worse.
Because now I understood something I hadn’t before.
The chains had never been what was keeping me here.
His gaze stayed on me, steady and unreadable, watching as I flexed my freed wrist slightly, as if testing whether it was real. The skin burned where the metal had been, but the weight was gone.
I was free.
At least… that’s what it should have felt like.
But I didn’t move.
Couldn’t.
Because he was still there.
And I knew, deep down, that if I tried to run, I wouldn’t make it far.
“Sit.”
The word was low, firm, and left no room for argument.
I stiffened.
My eyes snapped to his, my breath catching slightly as the command settled over me. It wasn’t shouted. It didn’t need to be. There was something in the way he said it, something controlled and absolute, that made my body react before my mind could catch up.
I hated that.
I stayed where I was, my jaw tightening as I forced myself not to listen, not to give in so easily.
“I am not your—” My voice faltered, weaker than I wanted it to be.
His gaze sharpened slightly.
“Sit,” he repeated, just as calm, just as certain.
The air in the room seemed to shift with it.
My chest rose and fell quickly, my mind racing, every instinct telling me to fight, to refuse, to do anything but obey him. But my body betrayed me, the exhaustion, the pain, and the fear all pulling at me at once.
Slowly, unwillingly, I shifted back onto the bed.
The moment I did, something in his posture eased, just slightly, as if that had been expected all along.
I clenched my hands into fists, anger flickering beneath the fear as I looked up at him.
“I’m not staying here,” I said, trying to force strength into my voice.
His expression didn’t change.
“You will.”
Two simple words.
Spoken like a fact.
Not a threat.
And somehow, that made them worse.
Because it meant he wasn’t guessing.
He knew.
And that terrified me more than anything else.
He did not look away from me as I sat there, my hands clenched tightly in my lap, my chest rising too fast as I tried to steady my breathing. The room felt smaller under his gaze, like the walls had closed in around me, leaving nowhere to hide. For a moment, neither of us spoke, and the silence stretched, heavy and suffocating, until he finally moved.
Not toward me, but slightly to the side, his hands resting behind his back in that same controlled, almost human posture. It was unsettling how calm he seemed after everything that had happened, as if nothing about this was out of place to him. As if I was exactly where I was meant to be.
“You do not leave this room,” he said, his voice low and steady, carrying easily through the space.
I swallowed, my throat dry, but I said nothing, my eyes fixed on him as I tried to read something—anything—from his expression.
“If you try,” he continued, his tone unchanged, “you will not make it far.” There was no threat in the way he said it, no raised voice or anger. That made it worse. It sounded like a fact, something he already knew would happen, and the certainty in it sent a chill down my spine.
“There are things in this place,” he went on, his gaze holding mine, “that will not hesitate.”
My stomach tightened at his words, my mind immediately jumping to the darkness beyond the room, to the forest he had dragged me through, to whatever else might be lurking within these walls. I didn’t know if he was trying to scare me or warn me, and somehow that made it harder to ignore.
“You will eat what is brought to you,” he said next, his voice just as calm, as if he was listing something simple, something expected.
My jaw tightened slightly at that, but I kept quiet, refusing to give him any more reaction than I already had.
“You will not harm yourself,” he added, and that made my brows pull together in brief confusion before I could stop it. The words felt out of place, unexpected, but I didn’t question it. Not yet.
“And you will not force me to restrain you again.”
That settled heavily between us, the meaning clear without him needing to say more. I lifted my chin slightly, forcing myself to meet his gaze despite the fear still sitting deep in my chest.
“And if I don’t listen?” I asked, my voice quieter than I wanted, but steady enough.
Something in his eyes shifted then, not anger, not irritation, but something colder, something that made my breath hitch slightly.
“Then you will learn.”
The answer sent a small shiver through me.
He held my gaze for a moment longer, as if making sure I understood every word, before turning away without another glance. My breath caught slightly as he walked toward the door, his steps slow and controlled, echoing softly against the stone floor. He didn’t look back, didn’t hesitate, and when he reached the door, it opened with a low creak, letting in a brief rush of cold air before he stepped through.
The door shut behind him with a heavy sound that echoed through the room, followed by the sharp, unmistakable click of the lock sliding into place.
I was alone again.