Chapter 28 HIS POSSESSION
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT
SAMANTHA’S POV
“We have gathered here today as masters and as mutates to commemorate the celebration of the hundredth mutate practice in Nocturne Haven.”.
I swallowed hard.
“As we all know,” he continued, pacing slowly across the raised platform, “any woman who loses her husband before five years of existence is sold into the sanctuary and stripped of every life and dignity she once had.”
Murmurs of approval rippled through the crowd.
“They are branded,” he said with a grin that made my stomach churn, “and made objects of mockery.”
My chest tightened. Anger and fear tangled inside me until I could hardly breathe. I wanted to scream. I wanted to run. I wanted to tear this place down with my bare hands…what was this wicked act against women.
My grip on Kane’s hand tightened without me realizing it.
“In the past years,” the Widow Collector went on, “women were vile and ruthless. They killed their husbands without respect for laws or supremacy. The mutate law was created to checkmate their excesses and preserve the male race.”
Laughter erupted.
“Tonight marks one hundred years,” he roared, lifting his hands. “One hundred years of ensuring mutates are branded and punished severely. One hundred years of freedom for us.”
The hall exploded.
Men shouted. Men cheered. Men stomped their feet like children celebrating a festival.
“Tonight,” he continued, his voice dripping with excitement, “is a free night. Branded or not, you are free to explore. To party. To have fun as you like with anyone.”
“All mutates are to be taken into custody,” he finished, his grin widening. “And they shall fulfill your wildest fantasies.”
The hall shook with laughter.
I looked up then.
I did not know what I was expecting, but the sight of him still made my breath hitch.
The Widow Collector.
Why was such a beast allowed to live among men. Why was his existence celebrated.
I looked away and turned to Kane.
His face was still half-hidden in the shadows, unreadable as always. He looked bored. Detached. Like this was just another event he had been forced to attend.
If he was uninterested, then why did he bring me here.??
Lights flared suddenly, bright and blinding.
Guards began moving through the hall, dragging mutates away. Some cried. Some struggled. Some went quietly, their eyes empty, already broken.
I was now scared.
I tightened my hold on Kane’s hand, visibly shaken now. My breathing grew shallow as I watched women being pulled away, their dignity stripped right in front of everyone.
Being tortured by Kane was enough. I had suffered enough at his hands. But standing here, seeing this, I knew something with terrifying clarity.
Compared to them, Kane was kind.
And that thought scared me more than anything.
I did not want to be taken. I did not want to be touched by those men. Their eyes were already on me. I could feel them crawling over my skin, hungry and cruel.
It was as if they all wanted a piece of me.
“Is she a mutate?”
The voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
A soldier stood in front of us, his gaze fixed on my arm. On the mark.
Kane did not respond.
He was busy on his phone.
“I… I… yes,” I said softly, my voice shaking even though he already knew. The brand on my skin had answered for me.
“You have to come with me,” the soldier said firmly.
My heart began to race.
I fidgeted, my body instinctively leaning closer to Kane. I looked up at him, silently begging, but he was still focused on his phone.
“Let’s go,” the soldier repeated, reaching out.
I tried to move, but Kane’s grip on my hand tightened.
He would not let go.
“S-sorry,” Kane said suddenly, lifting his head. “I was texting my daughter. What is it?”
The soldier hesitate immediately he saw it was Kane Draven “We need to take all mutates to the inner room sir”
“For?” Kane asked calmly.
The soldier faltered. “For… the celebration.”
Kane’s expression did not change.
“She’s mine,” he said simply. “She isn’t going anywhere.”
I was shocked…this was the second time he was claiming me this night and I was more than grateful.
Before the soldier could argue, Kane turned and started walking away, pulling me along with him.
I followed without hesitation.
I would rather choose him than any master in that hall.
A wave of relief washed over me so strong my knees nearly gave out. My chest burned as I breathed again, as if I had been underwater for too long.
Gratitude swelled inside me, heavy and overwhelming. I did not know what Kane’s reasons were. I did not know if this was protection or possession.
But tonight, it did not matter.
I would do anything in my power to appreciate him.
Anything.