Possession

Summer's pov.

The door closed as Hilda stepped outside and just as she left, I knew it was for good.

I would never see her again; it was a miracle they hadn't cut her throat.

I walked towards the door with slow steps and stopped only when my hands landed on the cold aluminum door knob.

I twisted it, pulling it open and the long halls greeted me. Taking another two steps ahead, I looked by the corners but there were no signs of her. It was as if she had just vanished.

I couldn't hear breaths and neither could I hear another foot step that wasn't mine.

I could blame her, if she was seen by any Lycan, she was sure to be sentenced to death, and all that would be because of me.

A cold pair of arms rested on my shoulder and I suddenly jolted. I spun around, my heart pounding, and found myself face-to-face with Dominic.

His stormy gray eyes bore into mine, filled with a mix of anger and something I couldn’t quite place—something that unsettled me more than his temper ever could. 

"Dominic," I spat, shrugging his hand off my shoulder like it burned me. "What now? Haven’t you done enough tonight?" 

His jaw tightened, the muscles in his neck tensing as he stared down at me. "I came to find you," he said, his voice low and edged with steel. "You shouldn’t be wandering the halls alone." 

I let out a sharp, bitter laugh, my anger boiling over. "Why? Are you worried someone else might care enough to help me? That they might end up like Hilda—banished for daring to show me kindness?" 

His expression darkened, and he took a step closer. "You don’t understand the weight of what she did, Summer. Hilda defied me. She broke the law—" 

"For me!" I snapped, cutting him off. "She did it for me because she saw how miserable I was. Because she knew I couldn’t take it anymore!" 

Dominic’s eyes flashed, his patience visibly wearing thin. "And you think that excuses her actions? You think that makes her betrayal acceptable?" 

"Yes!" I shot back without hesitation, my voice rising. "Because it wasn’t betrayal, Dominic—it was compassion. Something you clearly don’t understand." 

He flinched as if I’d struck him, but his expression quickly hardened. "Compassion doesn’t justify breaking the rules, Summer. Hilda knew the consequences, and she made her choice. I didn’t banish her lightly, but I had no other option." 

"You always have options," I said, my voice trembling with fury. "You’re the king, aren’t you? Isn’t that what you keep reminding me? That you’re the almighty ruler of Lymantria, and your word is law? You could’ve shown mercy, Dominic. You could’ve let her stay." 

"And then what?" he demanded, his tone sharp. "What message would that have sent to the rest of the kingdom? That it’s acceptable to defy me? That the laws I’ve sworn to uphold mean nothing? I can’t afford to make exceptions, not even for Hilda." 

I stared at him, my chest heaving as I struggled to rein in my emotions. "You’re not just a king, Dominic," I said, my voice raw. "You’re a person. You’re someone who claims to love me, yet you can’t see what you’ve done. You’ve banished the only person who made this place bearable. The only person who treated me like I was human." 

Dominic’s expression softened, a flicker of guilt crossing his face, but it was gone in an instant. "I’m trying to protect you," he said, his voice quieter now. "Everything I’ve done has been for your safety." 

I let out another bitter laugh, shaking my head. "Protect me? By keeping me locked up like a prisoner? By punishing the people who care about me? That’s not protection, Dominic—it’s control. And I’m done letting you control me." 

His eyes darkened, his calm unraveling as he stepped closer. "You don’t understand the dangers out there, Summer," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "If you had succeeded in escaping, you wouldn’t have lasted a day. Do you know what would’ve happened if someone found you? If my enemies realized you were out there, unprotected?" 

"Then maybe I should’ve been punished!" I shot back, tears stinging my eyes. "I’m the one who tried to escape, Dominic, not Hilda. She only helped me because I begged her to. If anyone deserves to be banished, it’s me." 

His jaw clenched, and he let out a frustrated growl.

"Do you think I want to punish you, Summer? Do you think I want to see you hurt? Everything I’ve done, every decision I’ve made, has been to keep you safe. But you don’t see that, do you? All you see is the cage you think I’ve put you in." 

"Because it is a cage!" I yelled, my voice cracking. "You say you’re keeping me safe, but all you’ve done is isolate me. You’ve taken away everything I had, everything that made me feel like I had a life. How is that love, Dominic? How is that protection?" 

He flinched again, his eyes filled with a pain he couldn’t hide. For a moment, the anger between us seemed to dissolve, leaving only the raw, unspoken emotions that had been simmering for weeks. 

"I’m trying," he said finally, his voice barely above a whisper. "I’m trying to do what’s right, but I don’t know how. I don’t know how to keep you safe without losing you." 

I stared at him, my heart aching at the vulnerability in his voice. But I couldn’t let myself soften, not now.

"You’re already losing me, Dominic," I said quietly. "And it’s not because of Hilda or the council or your stupid laws. It’s because you refuse to listen. You’re so obsessed with keeping me here that you can’t see how much it’s destroying both of us." 

He opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. Instead, he turned away, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

The silence between us was deafening, broken only by the sound of his ragged breathing. 

"I can’t let you go," he said finally, his voice breaking. "You don’t understand what you’re asking of me, Summer. If I let you go, if something happens to you..." 

"Then it’s my choice," I interrupted, my voice firm. "If you really love me, if you really care about me, then let me make my own choices. Stop trying to control everything, Dominic. Let me go." 

He turned back to me slowly, his eyes filled with a storm of emotions—anger, fear, regret, and something deeper that made my chest tighten.

"I can’t, I can’t risk losing you again." 

Tears welled in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. "Then you don’t love me," I whispered, my voice trembling.

"Not the way you think you do. Because love isn’t about holding someone captive. It’s about letting them choose." 

Dominic’s face crumpled, his composure shattering for the briefest of moments. But he quickly rebuilt the wall between us, his expression hardening once more. 

"I’m sorry," he said, his voice cold and distant. "But this is how it has to be." 

My heart shattered at his words, but I forced myself to stand tall, to meet his gaze without flinching. "Then I’ll find my own way out," I said quietly. "Because I won’t live like this, Dominic. Not anymore." 

Dominic didn’t say another word. He stood there for a moment, his stormy eyes locked on mine, as though he wanted to speak but couldn’t find the words. Then, without warning, he turned on his heel and walked away, his footsteps echoing in the empty hallway. 

I stood frozen, watching his broad shoulders retreat into the shadows. My chest felt heavy, a storm raging inside me. Anger, hurt, and something far more dangerous, hope, fought for dominance, each one pulling me in a different direction. 

"Then go," I whispered, though I doubted he could hear me. "Go, Dominic. Because I’m done trying to fix something you’ve already broken." 

As his figure disappeared around the corner, silence enveloped me. The cold air in the hallway pressed against my skin, amplifying the void he left behind. My hands trembled, but I clenched them into fists, refusing to let myself fall apart. 

But then, just as I turned to retreat to my room, a movement at the far end of the hallway caught my attention. 

My heart skipped a beat as I saw him—a man cloaked in black, his hood pulled low over his face. He stood completely still, shrouded in shadows, but there was no mistaking it: he was watching me. 

I blinked, my breath hitching. The dim light from the sconces on the wall didn’t reach far enough to illuminate his features, but something about his presence felt... wrong. His posture, the way he lingered without moving, sent a shiver down my spine. 

"Who are you...?" I started to ask, my voice faltering.