Depths of her own submission

**Alrigo Valerie King POV** 

I hadn’t expected this. Betrayal... I had learned to expect it from everyone in my world, from my allies to my enemies. But her? I hadn’t seen this coming.

I don’t know why I thought she was different. Why I allowed myself to believe that beneath all the manipulation, beneath the walls she’d built up, there was something genuine... something worth protecting.

But now, the truth slithered in—sharp, cold. Ivery, the woman I had placed my trust in, had been playing me all along. She wasn’t just part of my world; she was a spy for the enemy.

The fucking betrayal stings worse than anything I’ve felt before. It digs deep.

I should be numb to this by now, immune to the wound of treachery. But I’m not. Not when it comes to her.

"Dominic," I growled, turning towards my right-hand man who stood like a shadow in the dimly lit room. His posture was rigid, knowing my temper. But today was different.

"Where is her brother…what his name was? Rowan?" 

"Yes. He's in the dungeon, as you ordered," Dominic responds, his eyes always careful, never too direct. 

The hesitation in his words says everything. He doesn't trust anyone here, not even those closest to him. The same way I don’t.

I breathe slowly, eyes narrowing in thought. "And Ivery? Have you found anything?" My fingers curl into fists at my side, the thought of her gnawing at me. 

Dominic doesn’t flinch as he answers, but I can see the caution in his eyes. "Nothing in the records. No link that proves anything. But just because there’s no history, doesn’t mean we should trust her. You know Surñios….they can stoop to anything to see your downfall." 

My jaw clenches tight and I’m already moving, my mind swirling with the feeling of loss, the sting of betrayal. 

Rowan. That piece of shit.

I’m almost there before I even realize it. The dungeon door is heavy, a grim reminder of the world I’ve built. As I step inside, the sight hits me with a brutality I almost welcome. 

Rowan is bloodied and bound, hunched over, barely conscious — pathetic. But even in his broken state, his eyes flare with hatred when he sees me. I can practically taste his animosity, thick in the stale air.

"You think this changes anything?" he spits, voice hoarse with pain. "Beating me up and making me miserable? You won't get anything from me." 

I can’t help the slight curve of my lips, the smile that forms on my face, cold and unrelenting. I lean in just slightly, watching the hate burn brighter in his gaze.

"Rowan…shouldn't you be asking how well your sister is doing first?" I say, my tone, deliberately calm, smooth—cutting deep with the silent promise of what I’m truly capable of.

Rowan’s eyes widen, though the anger only worsens, "You sick bastard! I swear to God, Alrigo, if anything happens to her, I’ll—"

“You’ll do what?” I ask, leaning closer, just enough to make sure he understands that no matter how much he curses at me, his fate—and hers—rests in my hands. 

I let a grin curl at the corner of my lips, dark and knowing. "You can’t do a damn thing from here. She’s already made her choice. You, on the other hand... well, I think your time’s running out.”

Rowan’s bloodshot eyes glare at me from where he’s tied up, drenched in pain and rage. "You can hurt me, you can do whatever to me, but don’t bring her into this! She’s still innocent—young. If you’re half the man you pretend to be, you’ll let her walk.”

“Half the man I pretend to be?” I let out a laugh, "Here’s the problem with that little fantasy of yours, Rowan. I don’t pretend. I don’t need to.”

I lean in close, my voice a deadly whisper, loaded with venom, “Let me teach you something about predators. Weakness doesn’t buy survival here. Only loyalty, and you…” 

“You have none of that to offer.”

“Kill me then,” Rowan hissed, defiant to the end. “Do it. But leave her out of it. She doesn’t belong in this. She’s not one of your women, Alrigo."

"Kill you? That easily? No." I smile darkly. “Instead, I’ll make you wish for death. And when it comes, I’ll ensure it’s slow enough for your people to feel your failure through every ounce of pain you endure. But before that…” 

I smirked cruelly. “You’ll get to see just how much collateral damage you’ve caused. Because whether or not she’s innocent, Rowan, you’ve dragged her into this. And now…she’s mine to deal with as I see fit.”

His eyes flash with a mixture of fury and terror, but it only amuses me further. "Don’t you dare... Don’t do this, Alrigo."

I pull back, standing straight again, staring down at him like the game is still in motion, still in my hands. I enjoy the way his confusion flares before he tightens his jaw in defiance. 

Good. I like that defiance. Makes him interesting.

"I know you made your choices already, Rowan," I say calmly, my tone low, controlled “But your sister’s future? That’s where it becomes important now.”

"Her fate lies in your hands, Rowan. You’ll have time to decide. Your alliance. Your loyalty." My smile stretches, though it holds no warmth. "Your precious sister... your loyalty to your pathetic gang, or mine. Choose, and choose carefully, because if you do this wrong, Ivery pays for it. Make no mistake, your decisions now will decide what happens to her." 

I pause, knowing that this moment is where it will all shift. “I’ll give you two days. Time to think. You get one last chance to play the hero—to save her, or to drag her into your mess and watch her drown in the consequences."

"Tell me. Are you going to side with the losers—your gang? Or are you going to think beyond your pride? Will you be her protector... or the man who led her into the fire?”

He looks up at me, panting, his body tense, his eyes holding nothing but fire and fear. This is when it breaks, when all the barriers he’s put in place will start to crack. 

I give Dominic a silent nod and I turn and begin to walk away. 

The faint scrape of my boots on the cold floor is the last sound before the door to the dungeon slams shut. The finality of it hits hard, but there’s no more room for doubt.

No matter what Rowan chooses, Ivery’s fate is sealed. She *belongs* to me—body, mind, soul. 

I’ve marked her from the beginning, and her loyalty to me will come at a price—one I’ll collect in full, piece by piece. Every moment she breathes outside my grasp, she owes me. And I’ll make her pay—*pay it all back*, in ways she can’t even begin to imagine. 

There’s no escape, no freedom, no future where she’s not mine. I’ll make sure of it.

I’ll collect, drag her down into the depths of her own submission, until there's nothing left but my name in her blood. She will pay. And when I’m finished with her, I’ll make her *beg* for it.