The rope was tight around my hands.
It hurt. The rough fibers dug into my skin.
I sat on the cold floor, my back against the wall.
Ivar stood in front of me, staring. His face looked calm, but his eyes were dark and full of something sharp—hate, and something else I didn't understand.
He walked slowly around me like a wolf studying his prey.
"You know," he said softly, "you don't look like the monster I expected. You look... calm. Weak. Useless. The only good thing about you is your pretty face. You don't deserve this face."
His voice made my heart pound faster. I didn't know what to say.
He tilted his head and smiled—that strange, dangerous smile.
"Don't look so scared," he said. "I told you before, I'm not going to kill you yet. I want you to feel what my family felt. I want you to suffer first."
I bit my lip hard, trying not to cry.
"I didn't do anything wrong," I said quietly. "Please, just let me go. I swear I don't even know what you're talking about."
He laughed softly. "You don't know? Your blood ruined everything. Jason may have forgotten, but I haven't. I remember every scream, every body buried because of your father."
He walked closer and crouched down in front of me. His eyes flicked across my face like he was studying it.
Then his voice dropped low. "It's strange," he said. "I hate you... and yet, I can't stop staring."
He raised my torn dress a little and put his nose to my lap, as if my scent gave him some kind of joy. He started licking my foot and kissing my legs slowly, then placed his hands on my waist and said, "You are beautiful." He started raising my gown slowly as he kissed my chest.
"Please stop," I cried out, but he didn't. He continued and tried to kiss my lips, but I turned my head away—and it made him furious.
"Maybe that's the real curse," he said. "How about I design this pretty face a little?" He took out a knife, grabbed my hand, and cut through my palm slowly. My blood started rushing. Then he licked it.
"Do you like it? Or how does it feel? How does pain feel? Look me in the eyes and tell me."
I looked away, my heart beating too fast, tears rushing down my eyes. I couldn't cry loud because I kind of wanted him to kill me—everything was just too much. The pain was too much.
"Stop looking at me like that," I whispered.
He chuckled. "You really think you can tell me what to do? Who do you think you are?"
He reached out again. "I can't control myself," he said, and held my waist again. He started kissing my neck passionately, then kept going like he was approaching my chin. Instinct kicked in—I turned my head and bit his ear so hard with every bit of strength left in me. He screamed so loud, but I didn't care. I kept my teeth on his ear until it tore off.
He shouted, stumbling back in pain.
"You little—!"
Before he could finish, I kicked the small table beside me.
A candle rolled across the floor; fire spilled onto the dry straw.
The flames spread fast, bright and wild.
Ivar turned toward the smoke. "What did you do?!"
I didn't wait. I pulled hard at the rope, using the edge of a broken chair to cut through it. My wrists burned, but the rope snapped.
I ran.
The door was half open. I pushed through it, coughing as the smoke followed me out.
The fire was growing fast—orange light flashing behind me.
I heard Ivar shout inside, but I didn't look back.
I ran until my lungs burned. The forest was dark, and branches scratched my arms as I passed. I didn't know where I was going—I just wanted to be far away from him, from that place, from everything.
But before I could go far, two shadows stepped in front of me.
Guards.
"Hey!" one of them shouted. "You there—stop!"
I froze. My heart pounded so hard it hurt.
The other guard grabbed my arm. "What are you doing out here?"
Behind me, in the distance, the cabin was burning bright against the night sky.
The first guard looked past me. "Is that fire?" he said.
I couldn't speak. My mouth was dry.
He frowned and pulled me forward. "You're coming with us. The Alpha will want to know what happened."
I turned my head one last time toward the burning house.
The flames were high now, lighting the trees.
I couldn't tell if Ivar was still inside… or if he had escaped.
The guard dragged me away, and the firelight faded behind me.
But deep inside, I knew this wasn't over.
He was still out there somewhere—and next time, he wouldn't just want to make me suffer.
He would want revenge.