From Alex’s POV
The office was empty, the last echo of footsteps fading as my staff headed home. A calm settled around me, almost peaceful, if only it weren’t for the storm inside me. Isabella was here-by contract, not choice-and that fact twisted something dark and powerful in my gut.
I leaned back in my leather chair, crossing my arms as the door creaked open, her frame filling the doorway. She looked… rattled. That rebellious spark in her eye-there but restrained. Beautiful, defiant, and entirely mine. She knew it, too.
“Did I call you in, Bella?” I asked, my tone laced with mock patience.
She bit her lip but didn’t falter. “No, but I need to talk to you about… adjustments to the agreement.”
“Adjustments?” I arched an eyebrow. “To a contract that’s binding in more ways than one?”
She stepped in, closing the door quietly. Her eyes flickered to the collar around her neck-the one I put there and the one she’d tried to take off once, only to learn exactly what consequences looked like.
“I want… I need some boundaries,” she said, her voice low. “You can’t just decide-”
I was up in a heartbeat, my hand gripping her chin, forcing her to look at me, feeling her quick inhale as I leaned close. “Boundaries? Tell me, Isabella, since when does the prey get to tell the hunter how close he can get?”
She swallowed, her pulse racing beneath my fingers, her defiance slipping just enough to reveal a hint of vulnerability.
“You don’t own me, Alex,” she whispered, though even she didn’t sound convinced.
“Think carefully before you finish that sentence,” I murmured, my voice dark as I let my thumb brush over her lip. “Because I’ll remind you exactly what it means to belong to me.”
She pulled back, crossing her arms, defiance back in her gaze. “I’m not some plaything you can control, Alex. I have rights in this… in this twisted arrangement.”
“Rights?” I laughed, a low, rough sound. “In my world, Isabella, your rights begin and end with what I allow. And let me be clear: your place-right here under me-isn’t negotiable.”
Her hands curled into fists, but she held her ground, surprising me as she shot back, “If this is what you want, then say it outright. You don’t scare me with all these games.”
Ah, but that was the problem, wasn’t it? She didn’t understand the rules she’d walked into. Her lack of fear was almost… cute.
“Good,” I said, leaning back against my desk, the hardness in my voice biting. “Fear isn’t what I want from you, Bella. It’s obedience.”
She stared, a spark of hurt crossing her features, her brows knitting together. “You think obedience comes without respect? Is that how you treat every woman in your life?”
My eyes narrowed. “Don’t make the mistake of thinking you’re every woman, Isabella. You’re my wife… and that means I expect more.”
She looked like she wanted to bolt, but she held her ground, eyes locked on mine. “This… it’s not real,” she whispered. “Not to you.”
And there it was-the question hiding under all her walls, the one that might actually break her if she ever got an honest answer. But I wasn’t about to give her that kind of satisfaction.
“Real?” I echoed, smirking. “Real is what I decide it is. Now, if you’re done with your… little requests, I expect you on my lap, right here.”
She stood frozen, her breath coming in short bursts, anger and something else simmering behind those dark eyes of hers. But then she did as she was told, striding over, her movements hesitant but steady.
With a shiver that I knew she couldn’t mask, she lowered herself onto my lap. I took her wrists, guiding them behind her back with a firm grip, holding her in place as her gaze flicked up to meet mine.
I leaned closer, my breath ghosting over her neck. “Now, tell me again about this ‘boundary’ you wanted.”
A shiver ran through her, and her eyes flared, angry yet intrigued. “I told you, Alex… I don’t want to be some… trophy wife.”
“Trophy?” My voice was low, amused. “No, you’re far from that, Bella. But you’re mine. And I like my things where I can see them, feel them, know exactly how they’re going to react.”
Her voice was a whisper, barely audible. “You don’t know me as well as you think.”
“Oh?” I pressed her closer into my chest, a dangerous glint in my eyes. “And what would you call this then?”
Isabella tried to pull back, but I tightened my hold, making it clear she wasn’t going anywhere. Her breaths grew shallow, a mix of defiance and something deeper flashing in her gaze. “Alex, this-whatever it is between us-it’s not real.”
The corner of my mouth tilted into a smirk. “Is that so? And what exactly would you call it when your body responds every time I touch you?”
I felt her stiffen, and a reluctant blush crept over her cheeks. “That’s… different. That’s just-”
“Just?” I murmured, my fingers trailing lightly over the edge of her collar. “Is that what you tell yourself when you’re lying alone in bed, Bella?”
She froze, her expression caught between shock and indignation. “I don’t think about you like that.”
“Liar.” I chuckled, dark and low, pressing my thumb against her pulse, feeling it jump. “If you truly wanted out, you wouldn’t be here. You wouldn’t be wrapped in my collar, under my command, knowing exactly how this arrangement works.”
She looked away, her jaw tight. “You have no idea what I think about.”
The silence between us thickened, her breathing unsteady as I leaned closer. “Careful, Bella. Say that again, and I’ll be tempted to make sure I know exactly what you think… every thought, every fantasy, every filthy little secret you’re hiding.”
A flicker of panic crossed her face, just enough to tell me I’d hit a nerve.
She opened her mouth to retort, but the words died on her lips as a knock sounded at the door.
We both froze, the tension between us so thick it was suffocating. I held her gaze, not letting go of her wrists.
“Expecting someone?” I asked, my voice low, laced with suspicion.
She shook her head, eyes wide, uncertainty flashing through her expression.
The knock came again, sharper this time. My jaw tightened. I released her wrists, straightening, but my gaze never left hers. “Stay here. Don’t move. You’re not going anywhere.”
She nodded, barely, and I turned, my footsteps echoing as I crossed the room to the door. I pulled it open, my patience fraying with whoever dared to interrupt us.
But as the door swung wide, my blood ran cold at the sight standing before me-a familiar face from a past I’d locked away, someone I never thought would resurface.
“Alex,” the figure said, their voice carrying a sinister edge.
My jaw clenched, my gaze shifting back to Isabella, who watched from across the room, her curiosity and fear evident.
“Go,” I murmured, gesturing for her to leave.
She hesitated, and I bit out the words, “Now, Bella.”
She slipped away, leaving us alone, my fists clenching as the door clicked shut behind her. I turned back, facing the ghost of a past life, and whatever darkness they were here to drag back into my world.