Chapter 34

• Jake***
• The room was suffocating, thick with the scent of sweat and fear. Shadows clung to the corners, creeping over the walls like living things, waiting to pounce. Every breath was a struggle, my lungs raw, each inhale burning as though I was choking on the very air. The metallic scent of blood clung to the stone walls, mixing with the lingering dampness. My heart hammered in my chest, thumping so loudly I could barely hear anything else, the rhythm deafening in the silence that pressed in on all sides.
• The chains above me rattled as I pulled against them, the cold metal digging deeper into my wrists, sending waves of agony through my arms. My body was bruised and battered. Each breath reminded me of the beating I had endured, each inhale and exhale a reminder of just how helpless I had become. I was the one who commanded fear, who brought men to their knees with a single look. But now I was the one shackled to this godforsaken wall, a prisoner in my own skin, powerless to protect Belle.