Maria.

The moment I stepped into the room, the air changed.

"Kneel!"

Davian’s voice cracked through the space like a blade, cold and sharp, leaving no room for hesitation. Authority clung to every syllable, heavy enough to crush resistance before it could even form. My knees hit the floor almost instantly, the stone beneath them unforgiving, biting through the thin fabric of my dress. I didn’t question him. I didn’t dare to. In this place, obedience was survival.

My eyes remained lowered, but I didn’t need to look up to know who sat beside him.

Vanessa.

She was curled into his side as though she belonged there, delicate and possessive all at once. Her arms were wrapped tightly around him, her fingers lazily tracing circles on his chest, claiming him in a way that made my stomach twist. When I finally dared to lift my gaze just enough, her eyes met mine, burning, triumphant, filled with nothing but pure disgust.

A shiver crawled up my spine.

"How dare you hurt Vanessa?" Davian demanded.

The words struck me like a slap.

Hurt her?

The irony was almost laughable, if it wasn’t so terrifying. My throat tightened painfully as memories flashed through my mind: her hands around my neck, the lack of air, the darkness closing in, the certainty that I was about to die. If Daniel hadn’t stepped in... I wouldn’t be kneeling here now. I wouldn’t be breathing.

But none of that mattered.

Not my truth. Not my pain.

"When I ask a question, you respond within the next minute if you value your life," Davian continued, his tone dropping lower, darker, as he stood up.

Fear surged violently through my body. My heart pounded so hard I was sure he could hear it. His boots echoed against the floor as he moved closer, each step measured, deliberate. My breath hitched, my muscles locking in place as dread rooted me to the spot.

Then—he walked past me.

Relief rushed through me so suddenly it almost made me dizzy. For a brief, foolish second, I thought perhaps this was all some twisted warning. Maybe he was done.

I was wrong.

He returned moments later, and this time, I didn’t need to look up to know something was different. The air itself seemed to recoil.

A whip hung loosely in his hand.

My breath caught sharply in my throat, a cold wave of terror washing over me as my eyes finally lifted. The leather coiled around his fist looked innocent enough, until you imagined what it was meant to do. My hands trembled where they rested on my lap, my pulse roaring in my ears.

"Allow me to teach you a lesson, Maria," Davian said calmly, almost gently, as if he were speaking to a disobedient child. "No one messes with my fiancée."

Vanessa shifted behind him, a satisfied smile curving her lips. Her fingers tightened in his shirt, and her eyes never left me.

Davian crouched in front of me slowly, his movements unhurried, deliberate. He reached for my wrists, and I flinched despite myself. Rough fingers closed around them, pulling my hands together in front of me as he bound them tightly. The restraint was firm, unyielding, leaving no room to pull away.

I swallowed hard, my mouth suddenly dry.

He rose to his full height again, the whip dangling idly at his side. Then, almost mockingly, he dragged it lightly across my back.

The contact was gentle, but it was enough.

A sharp gasp tore from my lips as a violent shiver ripped through my body, uninvited and uncontrollable. My spine stiffened, every muscle locking as the leather traced my skin—slow, deliberate, merciless. It was cold where it touched me, unnaturally so, the chill sinking deeper than flesh, carrying with it a quiet, dreadful promise. My skin prickled in its wake, as though it already remembered pain that hadn’t yet arrived. Every nerve ending screamed, buzzing and raw, my body bracing for something it knew was inevitable.

I stayed kneeling.

The hard floor bit into my knees, grounding me in humiliation as much as restraint. My posture was rigid, my head bowed, my hands clenched so tightly at my sides that my nails bit into my palms. Still, I did not move. I did not flinch again.

I stayed silent.

Not because I had nothing to say—but because I knew better than to speak when words held no weight here. This moment had nothing to do with facts, or fairness, or what had truly happened behind closed doors. It wasn’t about clearing my name or being heard.

This was about power.

And right now, every shred of it belonged to him.

"Now tell me, Maria," Davian said slowly, each word measured, controlled, his tone deceptively calm, "how many times did you hit Vanessa?"

Before I could draw another breath, his fingers shot up without warning. Pain exploded as his hand gripped my chin, rough and unforgiving, forcing my face upward. His thumb dug hard into my jaw, grinding bone against bone. I cried out despite myself as something tore—skin splitting under the pressure. A sharp sting flared instantly, followed by a sickening warmth as blood trickled down my chin.

My breath hitched, breaking apart as it left my chest, my vision blurring as tears flooded my eyes against my will. I tasted metal. I tasted fear.

"I—" I swallowed hard, my throat constricting around the sound. My voice trembled no matter how desperately I tried to steady it. "I did not hit her, Alpha Davian."

The words barely had time to exist between us before his expression shifted.

The calm shattered.

Rage twisted his features, dark and sudden, his grip tightening as though my denial itself had offended him. His eyes burned into mine, searching not for truth, but submission.

He flung my face to the side with brutal force, the motion snapping my neck painfully. Before I could even recover, his palm connected with my cheek.

The slap echoed through the room.

Pain exploded across my face, white and blinding. My head snapped sideways, my vision blurring as I tasted blood. The impact left my ears ringing, the sound dull and distant, as though I were submerged underwater.

"Are you saying Vanessa is lying?" he roared, his voice shaking the walls.

I struggled to breathe, my chest rising and falling erratically. Tears streamed down my face, not just from pain, but from the crushing helplessness that pressed down on me. I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. Every word felt like it would dig my grave deeper.

"Take it easy on her, Davian," Vanessa said softly from behind him, her voice sweet, almost concerned. "She looks pale."

I almost laughed at the absurdity of it. Pale. As if that was the worst of it.

"I don’t care if she’s about to die, Vanessa," Davian snapped without turning to look at her. "You’re too soft-hearted. Allow me to help you out here."

Fear surged through me like fire in my veins.

Before I could brace myself, he stepped behind me. The sound of the whip slicing through the air came first,a sharp, terrifying hiss, then pain unlike anything I had ever known.

The first lash landed across my back.

I screamed.

The sound ripped out of me uncontrollably as my body jolted forward, agony tearing through muscle and bone. It felt as though my spine had been struck directly, the pain sharp enough to steal my breath. My knees buckled, but the bindings kept my hands trapped, forcing me to remain upright as my body trembled violently.

I barely had time to register the pain before it came again.

The second lash struck harder.

My balance completely gave way this time. I collapsed forward, hitting the floor with a dull thud. The impact knocked the air from my lungs, leaving me gasping desperately as pain radiated through every inch of my body. My back burned, my skin screaming, my bones feeling as though they were splintering beneath the force.

I tried to crawl away on instinct, but my bound hands betrayed me. I was trapped, helpless, exposed, trembling.

Then came the third lash.

It struck with such force that a strangled sob burst from my throat. A metallic taste flooded my mouth, and I coughed violently, blood spilling onto the floor beneath me. My vision blurred completely now, the room spinning as waves of pain crashed over me again and again.

But Davian didn’t stop.

The whip continued to fall.

Each strike felt worse than the last, tearing through what little strength I had left. I lost count of how many times it hit me. Time stopped making sense. Pain became everything—my world reduced to burning agony, broken breaths, and the sound of leather striking flesh.

My screams grew weaker, dissolving into hoarse sobs, then into nothing but silent gasps. My body shook uncontrollably, muscles giving out one by one as darkness crept in from the edges of my vision.

I could hear Vanessa’s voice somewhere far away. I could hear Davian breathing. But it all felt distant, unreal, like I was slipping away from my own body.

The room tilted.

The pain dulled.

And then...Darkness swallowed me whole.