The storm outside had softened into a steady rain, but inside the safehouse the storm between them was only beginning.

Elena stood, the blanket slipping from her shoulders, her body trembling—but not from fear this time. From fury.

“You think you’re saving me,” she spat, her voice cracking. “But you’re just as bad as him. Maybe worse. At least Damien doesn’t pretend his cage is a sanctuary.”

Adrian froze, his pale eyes darkening, as if her words had struck deeper than a blade. His jaw flexed, but he said nothing.

So she pushed harder. “Do you even hear yourself? Mine. Chains. Control. You don’t love me, Adrian. You want to own me.”

In a blur, he crossed the space between them, slamming his hand against the wall beside her head, caging her in. His chest heaved, his eyes ablaze.

“Don’t you dare question what I feel for you.”

Her hands clenched at her sides. She could smell the blood and rain on him, feel the heat radiating from his body. And yet—she didn’t shrink back.

Instead, she shoved him. Hard.

Adrian stumbled a step, surprise flashing in his gaze.

“I’m not weak,” she hissed. “You don’t get to make me your prisoner and call it love. If you want me—” her voice faltered, but she forced the words out, strong and sharp, “—then you’d better fight for me, not against me.”

For a long moment, silence thickened between them. His breathing was ragged, his hands flexing as though he fought the urge to grab her, claim her, silence her.

But then something broke in him. He dragged a hand through his hair, pacing the room like a wolf in a snare. His voice was raw when he finally spoke.

“You don’t understand what Damien will do if he gets to you. He doesn’t want your heart, Elena. He wants to ruin you, just to ruin me.”

Her chest tightened, fear threading through her anger. But she held her ground.

“And if you keep treating me like this, how are you any different?”

The words hit him like a gunshot. He stopped pacing, turning slowly to face her. For the first time, the mask slipped completely. His expression was shattered—torment, longing, obsession all twisted together.

“Elena,” he whispered, almost broken. “Tell me what to do. Tell me how to love you without destroying you.”

Her breath caught. Because for the first time, she realized—Adrian wasn’t invincible. He was a storm unraveling, and she was the only anchor he had left.

But what terrified her most… was the flicker of truth in her chest.

Some part of her didn’t want to let go of him either.