Chapter 3 Chapter 3

E L A R A

For a long, suffocating moment, I didn’t move. I couldn’t. His command hung in the air, sharp and heavy, like thunder before a storm. My fingers clenched around the envelope so tightly that the edges dug into my palms.

“W-what?” I finally breathed out, my voice barely more than a whisper. My throat burned, my lips trembled, and I could feel the heat rush up my neck to my face. The room felt smaller, the air thicker, pressing down on me until it hurt to breathe.

Kane’s eyes didn’t soften. They didn’t flicker with pity or amusement. They simply watched. Calm. Unyielding. Dangerous.

“I told you to strip,” he repeated, slower this time, as though testing how far my fear would stretch before I broke. His tone wasn’t cruel, it was worse. It was calm, patient, as if he already knew what I would do.

Behind him, I heard Sera’s faint, mocking laugh. The sound sliced through me, cold and sharp. My stomach turned, shame and anger tangling deep in my gut. She was enjoying this my humiliation, my desperation.

His gaze held me like a trap, unblinking and sharp. It felt as if he could reach inside my mind and see every frantic thought spinning around, every fear and worry I tried so hard to hide. My chest tightened, my hands clenched, and for a moment, I could barely breathe under the weight of it.

Then, without a word, he stepped back. Just one slow, deliberate step. The space that opened between us felt strange, like a small mercy, yet also a trap waiting to snap shut. My stomach churned at the thought, my pulse hammering in my ears.

His boots made soft echoes on the stone floor as he turned and walked to the massive throne at the far end of the room. He lowered himself onto it with a smooth, easy grace, the kind of movement that made it clear he owned this space, owned everything in it.

Sera remained in the shadows, her presence still there like a faint pressure on my skin, watching, waiting, but I couldn’t focus on her. I couldn’t focus on anything except the heat of Kane’s stare, the way it seemed to pierce through me.

“Let us see,” he said finally, his voice low and steady, rolling through the chamber like distant thunder, “how far a lowly omega is willing to go for her little pup.”

The words slammed into me, raw and heavy, like a hand pushing me to the floor. My heart twisted painfully in my chest. My pup - Luca. The thought of him curled up small and weak in his bed, fever burning through his tiny body, made my stomach clench. I could hear his soft whimpers in my mind, see the way his tiny chest rose and fell with each fragile breath.

For Luca.

For my son.

The words repeated over and over in my head like a prayer I was too afraid to say out loud. Just this once, I told myself. Just this once, if it meant saving him.

My throat tightened. My hands shook as I tried to think, to breathe, but everything inside me was chaos. I looked at Sera again, standing quietly near the shadows. Her lips curled slightly, not quite a smile more like she was waiting for me to break.

Wasn’t he going to tell her to leave? To look away? Or was she supposed to be here? Watching? Did this happen often?

A horrible thought crept in, was this some kind of test? Or worse, a routine?

My stomach turned at the idea, and I swallowed hard, fighting the sickness clawing up my throat. I wanted to ask him to send her away, to beg him for privacy, but I couldn’t make my lips move.

I had already begged once tonight. I couldn’t afford to sound weak again.

But before I could think any further, Kane’s voice cut through the room like a blade.

“Do not waste my time,” he said, his tone cold and final. “I have things to attend to.”

My fingers trembled as I released the envelope, letting it slip from my grasp and flutter to the cold stone floor. The soft thud echoed in the heavy silence, a small surrender that made my chest ache.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I reached behind my back, my fingertips brushing the zipper of my gown. The metal tab felt foreign under my touch, cool and unyielding. Slowly, I tugged the zipper down, the sound rasping through the room like a confession. Inch by inch, the fabric parted, exposing the bare skin of my back to the chill air.

Kane watched from his throne, his posture relaxed yet commanding, one arm draped over the armrest as if this were mere entertainment. Sera's presence lingered in the shadows, her faint breathing a reminder that I wasn't alone in this vulnerability.

With the zipper fully undone, I gripped the shoulders of the gown and slid it down my arms, then over my hips. The material pooled at my feet in a whisper of silk, leaving me standing there in nothing but my simple bra and panties.

A flicker of relief washed over me, thank the stars I'd chosen these this morning. They were plain but intact, white lace that hugged my curves without fraying, a small dignity amid the ruin of my modest gown.

Heat flooded my face as I stood exposed, my arms instinctively crossing over my chest before I forced them down. Kane's gaze raked over me, slow and deliberate, taking in every inch. His lips curved into a smirk, dark and knowing, as if he could see the turmoil twisting inside me.

"Go on," he said, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through the air. "Start from the top."

My heart pounded harder, a frantic drumbeat against my ribs. My hands rose again, fingers fumbling for the clasp of my bra at the back. The hooks caught under my touch, stubborn in my shaking grip. I paused, drawing in a shaky breath, the cool air pebbling my skin.

"Slowly," Kane commanded, his tone sharpening just enough to slice through my hesitation. "Take it off slowly."

I bit my lip, my fingers worked the clasp free, one hook, then the next, the bra loosening around my torso. I shrugged the straps off my shoulders one at a time, letting the fabric slide down my arms.

The cups peeled away from my breasts, exposing them. My nipples hardened instantly, not from desire but from the shock of exposure, the weight of their stares.

The bra joined the gown on the floor, a discarded barrier. I stood there, half-naked, my arms hovering uselessly at my sides, fighting the urge to cover myself.