The air in the chamber was heavy with cold silence, broken only by the harsh clinking of chains and Seo-Yun's uneven breathing. His body ached—bruises bloomed dark across his skin, ribs cracked and bruised from relentless punishment, muscles stiff and trembling with exhaustion. But beneath the physical torment, something deeper was being tested: his will.
Kaelith stood before him, an imposing figure draped in shadow, eyes burning with an unforgiving fire. "You think pain will break you," the Alpha's voice was low, cruel, "but you misunderstand. It is not the pain alone. It is control."
Seo-Yun's gaze met Kaelith's, fierce and unyielding despite the weariness. He refused to let the cruel words crush him.
The guards roughly forced Seo-Yun onto his knees on the cold stone floor. The chill bit into his skin, but he did not flinch. He had learned to endure.
Kaelith circled him like a predator, voice dropping to a whisper thick with menace. "You belong to us. Your body, your mind... your very soul will be claimed."
Before Seo-Yun could resist, the collar around his neck flared, sending a sharp jolt of pain through his spine. His breath hitched, but he kept his eyes locked on Kaelith's, a silent promise of resistance burning bright.
The first lash of the whip cracked across his back, tearing flesh and searing nerve endings. Pain exploded through him, but he swallowed the scream lodged in his throat.
The whipping continued, relentless and brutal, each strike a cruel punctuation to Kaelith's command. "Obey. Submit. Accept."
When Seo-Yun's body jerked in reflex, a heavy boot slammed into his ribs, crushing the breath from his lungs. He gasped, the sting radiating through his torso.
Kaelith stepped closer, his hand gripping Seo-Yun's chin with cold possessiveness. "You will serve, not out of kindness, but because you have no choice."
Seo-Yun's heart thundered in his chest as Kaelith's touch became harsher, pulling him into a twisted intimacy. Despite the fear and humiliation swirling inside him, his mind screamed for freedom.
When the torment finally ended, Seo-Yun was left trembling on the cold floor, broken but still breathing, still fighting.
Dragged back to his cell, his thoughts burned fiercely: the Alphas controlled his body—but his mind, his will, was a war yet to be won.