The reins of power

Thorne

The room felt cold and empty as I walked back to my quarters, the presence of Lena and Kael still pulsing in my mind like a painful thorn. Each step echoed through the metallic corridors, reflecting the silent fury I held within. The image of Lena standing next to Kael, so close, so complicit, haunted me.

That look she gave me... defiant, yet filled with a conviction that irritated me deeply. The way she faced me, as if she held some illusion of control over what was happening. Lena seemed to be forgetting who I was, what I was capable of doing. And Kael... the way he stood up for her, positioning himself beside her without even realizing it, was a disturbing reminder that he, too, was starting to cross boundaries.

I reached my quarters and entered, feeling the weight of the environment fall upon me. The silence was almost absolute, interrupted only by the soft hum of the fortress's systems. I knew I needed to think, to keep a cool head, but the anger boiled beneath my entire facade of control. Lena was becoming a bigger problem than I had anticipated.

I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to calm myself, but the vision of her beside Kael, sharing secrets and conspiracies, continued to torment me. She should be at my side, as my wife, my ally. But I could see the growing distance between us. And as much as I wanted to force her to understand, I knew that, the way things were going, the only thing I would accomplish was pushing her even further away.

An uncomfortable thought began to take shape in my mind. I knew that Lena was strong, stronger than any human I had ever encountered. And that strength made her both an asset and a danger. If I couldn’t bring her back into my orbit, then I would have to decide how far I was willing to go to keep her under control.

My fist clenched involuntarily, the anger transforming into a physical grip. I needed a solution, and fast. Letting Lena act on her own was too risky. I needed to reassert myself, remind her who was in charge. But it couldn’t be through force. Forcing the situation would only push her further away. She needed to feel that, somehow, she still had a choice—even if that choice was an illusion.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. I was never a man who depended on emotional tricks. I always preferred to be direct, objective. But Lena wasn’t a common soldier to be bent by discipline. She was a force of her own, an enigma, and I needed to decipher her before she turned completely against me.

I took a deep breath and decided it was time to act. I activated the communication panel and ordered that she be brought to my quarters. I needed to confront her, but this time, in a different way. It would be a dialogue, not a conflict. At least, not at first.

A few minutes passed until she finally arrived. Lena entered the room with her head held high, her posture rigid, and I realized she was also prepared for another battle of wills. Her gaze met mine, defiant as always, but there was something else there—restrained frustration, a fire I hadn’t seen in a while.

“Thorne,” she began, her tone formal, but loaded with repressed emotion. “What do you want? I’ve already made it clear that we need a more strategic approach. If you continue down this path—”

I raised my hand, cutting her off. “I’m not here to discuss tactics, Lena. Today, I want to talk about us.” The words came out softer than I expected, but still firm.

She frowned, surprised by the change in tone. “About us?”

I nodded slowly, indicating for her to sit on the sofa beside me. “Yes, about us. Because, from where I stand, it seems like you’re forgetting what this really means. I’m your husband, Lena. You’re my wife. And that’s not just an empty title. We have a role to play.”

Lena looked at me, her eyes narrowing. I knew I was walking through a minefield, but I continued.

“You’re a force to be reckoned with, Lena. That’s why I wanted you by my side from the beginning. But lately, it feels like you’re more distant, more... hostile.” I let out a heavy sigh, trying to appear more vulnerable, more human. “This can’t continue like this. We need to be on the same side, truly, or everything will fall apart. What do we need to do to fix this?”

She remained silent, her eyes analyzing every nuance of my face. I knew she wouldn’t be easily swayed. Lena was perceptive, and I needed to walk the fine line between truth and manipulation.

“Thorne, you can’t control everything. You can’t treat me like a possession and expect me to just obey,” she finally said, her voice low but filled with undeniable strength. “If you really want this to work, then you need to listen to me.”

I made an effort to stay calm. “Then make me understand, Lena. Because, from where I’m standing, every decision you make on your own puts us in danger. And I won’t allow you to—”

“—protect me?” She interrupted, a spark of anger in her voice. “I don’t need protection, Thorne. I need you to trust me.”

We stared at each other, the tension stretching like a thread about to snap. I knew that, at that moment, any wrong word could lead us to an abyss with no return.

“I trust you, Lena,” I finally said, feeling the weight of the truth in every syllable. “But I also know what’s at stake here. If you give me a reason to believe we’re on the same side, I promise... I promise I’ll give you more space. But until then, I’ll do whatever it takes to ensure you stay by my side.”

She didn’t respond immediately, but I could see the conflict in her eyes. The internal battle between the need for independence and the weight of our forced alliance. I reached out, lightly touching her arm, and felt the slight tremor beneath my fingers.

“Lena, please. Don’t make me choose between the war and you.”