I woke up to silence. Not the calm kind that comes with peace, but a silence so heavy it pressed against my head. It felt planned, like the room itself was forcing me to stay quiet, to stop thinking.
My mind was a mess a battlefield after the war. The pride I'd once carried as an Alpha was gone, burned to ashes. All that was left was the echo of defeat.
The air smelled like him. Elias. His scent was everywhere, cold and clean, sharp enough to remind me that this was his space and now, his control over me was complete.
The sheets under my hands were silk, smooth and cool. The whole room was perfect, too perfect. Every detail was chosen by him not for comfort, but for control. Even the temperature, the lighting, the silence. My body responded to it without permission, obeying the atmosphere he'd built.
I stayed still for a while, listening to my own heartbeat. It was steady, calm, quiet too quiet. I didn't feel like myself anymore. I should've been angry, should've wanted to fight, but the anger felt far away, like something buried under water.
Eventually, I got up and walked to the mirror. The glass stretched from floor to ceiling, and I stared at the man standing there.
He looked like me, but not really. His shoulders weren't as straight. His chin was lower. His eyes had lost that sharp spark that used to burn in them. I looked… contained. Controlled. Like someone had erased the rough edges and polished what was left.
I wasn't free. But I was safe.
That was the truth I didn't want to say out loud.
I moved to the kitchen. The space was huge, neat, and cold like everything else here. On the counter sat a tray of food, arranged too perfectly to be casual. I didn't even think before eating. The food was warm, balanced, exact. It tasted like care, but not the soft kind the kind that comes with ownership.
A small part of me felt ashamed for enjoying it. But under that shame was something worse relief. For the first time in years, I didn't have to fight to survive. I didn't have to prove anything. I could just be.
Then I heard it the quiet chime of the private lift. My body reacted before my mind did. I stood straighter, fixed my shirt, adjusted my breathing. It was automatic.
Elias walked in. He looked calm, composed every line of him sharp and certain. The air seemed to bend around him.
"The compliance is absolute," he said, voice even, emotionless. "The internal chaos has been successfully terminated. You are stabilized."
He stepped closer, and when his hand rested lightly on the back of my neck, a shiver went through me. It wasn't rough, but it didn't need to be. His touch carried weight — control, ownership, certainty. My muscles tensed, then relaxed under it.
"Marcus has requested a final meeting," he said softly. "He will try to provoke you. He's emotional. You will not respond."
Marcus. The name pulled something fierce and old inside me. For a moment, I felt that spark of anger again the instinct to stand up, to fight back. But Elias's presence was stronger. His power rolled through me like calm water, drowning every spark before it could rise.
"You will reflect my ownership," he continued. "Your stillness will be your weapon. You are untouchable now. Your presence will speak for itself."
I nodded slowly. It wasn't even a decision just a natural response.
"Understood, mate," I said quietly.
The word settled heavy between us, sealing everything that had already been decided. My body felt steady, my breathing calm. I wasn't afraid anymore. But I wasn't free either.
Somewhere deep down, I knew the truth I was no longer Julian Reyes, the Alpha who defied everything.
I was something else now.
Something Elias had shaped.
And the worst part was, I didn't want to escape.
I only wanted to please him.