Master of My Chains

**Ivery Clark POV** 

The words clanged in my head like a warning bell. He's insane. 

Alrigo's fingers grazed my jaw, deceptively gentle, but every nerve in my body screamed. His voice dipped lower—deadly, velvety, controlled.

“So be what I made you. Not more. Not less, ma bella. Don't try to act smart or you're above anything.” His tone turned cruelly soft. “Because do you know what I do to traitors, Ivery?”

“I don’t kill them quick. I don’t let them run. I peel their soul apart, piece by piece. I make them watch as everything they ever loved turns to ash. Then I drown them in the wreckage. I don’t bury traitors, Ivery. I unmake them. I erase them from every place they ever mattered. That’s what I do.”

Then silence. Heavy. Suffocating. And in it, his final words came like the drop of a blade.

“So if you’re planning something… you better pray I never find out. Because when I do—hell will look like mercy.”

My chest rose and fell in shallow breaths. 

I didn’t dare move. Didn’t dare speak. Not when he was like this—cornered, enraged, but still so devastatingly composed. That was the worst part. He didn’t need to scream to terrify me.

He was the terror. Cold. Cunning. Absolute.

And I was trapped in his world like a moth that flew too close to the flame.

His eyes burned into mine like gunmetal fire. “So tell me, Ivery… are you a traitor?”

I tried to keep my face neutral, but inside, everything was unraveling.

How do you betray someone who’s already inside your bloodstream? Who knows every beat of your silence, every crack in your strength?

Because that’s what Alrigo was.

He was a monster—my monster. One I had kissed, touched, let hold me through the night.

And now… now, the thought of going against him, even for freedom, even for Rowan… it chilled me to my bones.

Because I knew exactly what Alrigo did to people who crossed him.

He didn’t just destroy them.

He erased them. From the face of the earth like we never existed at all.

I gulped as I stared at him. Say something. Say no. Lie. Do anything.

But I couldn’t. The words caught in my throat, strangled by fear — and something else I hated even more. Guilt.

He watched me for a long, silent moment. The tension stretched, sharp as a wire between us.

Then—he exhaled, patting my head. Soft. Mocking.

“Good girl,” he murmured, like I was some obedient pet who had just rolled over instead of stared down death. “Let’s go.”

The switch in his tone snapped me out of it.

“Where?” I asked, sharper than I intended, the fear bleeding into frustration. “I'm not going anywhere with you.” 

His steps halted. Slowly, deliberately, he turned to face me again.  “Are you… raising your voice to me now?”

Something in his tone made the air feel colder.

He stepped toward me slowly, like a predator savoring the fear. I stood my ground, but inside, I was crumbling.

“You forget so easily,” he said, his voice a low hiss. “You sold your soul the moment you begged for your brother’s life. Did you really think there was dignity left after that? So shut up and follow me.” 

He grabbed my wrist before I could blink and yanked me forward, I stumbled. When we reached his room, he slammed the door shut behind us. 

He threw me forward, and I caught myself on the edge of the bed.

I whipped around, furious, humiliated—but before I could spit anything back, he pointed to the glossy black box sitting on the dresser.

“Don't you think we should start where we left, ma bella..? Wear it.” 

I followed his gaze and felt the blood rush to my face.

The lingerie. Silky, lacy, indecent.

Is he serious right now?

“You’re insane if you think I'm going to wearing that for you.” I sneered at him. 

“Oh, but you are,” he said, stepping forward, cornering me again. “Because that’s what pets do when their master says so. You're born to entertain me and you're going to do that right now. It’s the only reason I keep you breathing.” 

That line hit like a blade. Something cracked wide open.

“What happened? You’re quiet again. Isn’t this what you think of me anyway?” he said coldly. “That I treat you like a side plaything? Like a disposable whore?” His eyes gleamed with something venomous. “Then go ahead. Strip.”

“Go on,” he added, like he was daring me. “Put on a show. Let’s make your little theory come true.”

I stared at him in disbelief.

Tears burned my eyes, hot and humiliating. My fists clenched at my sides.

“How much more do you want to humiliate me?” The words burst out of me, trembling and raw. “What is it you’re trying to prove, Alrigo? That I’m yours? That I’ll break? Congratulations. You already did that the day you dragged me into this hell.”

He didn’t answer — he just watched me, arms crossed, gaze cold and unreadable. That made it worse.

“I don't know why you always forget I'm a human, Alrigo. I breathe. I bleed. And every time you treat me like some disposable object—like I’m just another side piece for your amusement—it kills whatever’s left of me.”

I wiped my tears with the back of my hand, furious at myself for crying.

“I am not *her*,” I spat. “Whoever she was before me—the ones you could throw around, dress up, control. I’m not them. Stop trying to stuff me into the same mold and pretend it’s love.”

My voice dropped to a bitter whisper. “Stop acting like you’re keeping me alive out of kindness. You’re keeping me alive so I can rot slowly under your thumb. Stop treating me like another woman in your collection, Alrigo.” I whispered, voice thick. “Stop treating me like I’m just…an entertainment.”

My voice cracked, but I forced it out. “Please, let me go, Alrigo. You don’t need to take the burden of me anymore. You can go build your life, your legacy. Have your family. Your fiancée. I want no part in it. I want nothing from you. You can live however you want, marry whoever you want, I won’t ask for anything—just let me go.”

“What..?” His voice dropped to a whisper, a warning wrapped in steel.

“I’ll…I’ll leave. Quietly. You won’t hear from me again.” My voice was hoarse now. “I’ll leave quietly. Far away. You won’t even know I exist. I won't be a hindrance to your path ahead. Just let me go. Please.”

Silence.

And then… the sound of his breath — a slow, dangerous inhale. When I finally looked up, what I saw wasn’t mercy.

It was rage.

His jaw clenched, eyes burning with something deeper than fury — something like possession laced with betrayal.

Then—

A crash.

The nearby vase shattered into pieces as Alrigo’s fist slammed into the wall. I flinched violently. 

“Say that again.” Alrigo growled, his voice no longer human, but some dark, like a voice of a devil. “I dare you to say that again, Ivery.” 

……

**A/n**: Thank you for all the love and support, it really brought me tears for the unconditional support you people showed me in the comments. I'm really grateful to you all ♡. I'll continue to work hard and won't disappoint you all, thank you so much. If I ever write a book in future somewhere, I'll definitely inform, this book is locked here for 10 years so I have no choice but to write here only. But thank for you for all the kindness you showed me, I'm eternally grateful to you all.