Kael's grip around Otto's throat was brutal, unyielding, suffocating. His massive, fur-covered arms flexed with terrifying strength, every muscle straining like he was holding back a tidal wave. One jerk. That's all it would take. Otto's fragile, half-starved body would snap like a twig.
"A—ugh—kkh…"
Otto's strangled gasp clawed its way out, thin and broken, like the dying squawk of a chicken with its throat slit. Pathetic. Powerless. The sound alone could gut you.
The pain wasn't just physical, it sliced deeper than any lash his father had ever laid across his back. Sharper than the slaps, the fists, the beatings that had bruised his skin and soul for years. This was different. This was final.
