The air in the room was thick with tension. Aric's hand hovered by Selene's chin, but he didn't press. His eyes riveted on hers, reading the most minute quiver, the most nuanced intake of breath. He felt her resistance; the fight within her still raged. But it was softening — he could feel it in the way her posture changed minutely, in the way her gaze stopped holding his with defiance, but with … curiosity.
Curiosity. The first thing that would break her.
"You're still resisting," Aric murmured, his voice deep and thick with authority. "But you already belong to me, Selene. You just don't know it yet."
Her mouth opened like she wanted to speak, but nothing came out. Aric had infectious confidence. His power had cloaked him in waves of golden red, which crushed her pride and left nothing in its place but lust.
She gulped again, and he could see her thoughts spiraling, the internal conflict raging deep within her violet eyes.
[System Notification: Influence – 40%]
The Submission Chain had a visceral, urgent power, wrapping thoroughly around her, a shimmered-heated pulse of energy that only he could see.
She was becoming more sensitive to his will with every passing second.
He stood away, granting her a space of independence—just the place to drill the strength of her will. Selene's gaze shifted and her body tensed slightly as if she already knew what came next.
"Why fight it?" Aric asked, his voice low. "You know I can help make this easier on you.
Selene's breath caught. She had learned the feigned powers of nobility, the need never to yield or reveal a chink in the armor, but there was no denying it, invisible chains sank into the finger bones of her spirit, ever tightening.
Her jaw clenched. "I will never submit to you."
Aric let out a dark laugh, the kind that filled a room like a predator's promise. "You're not submitting to me, Selene. You're just agreeing there to what's already true."
He moved his hand again, resting it lightly on her wrist. The physical connection ran a wave of warmth through her body. It wasn't the touch itself — it was the way it affected her, with every nerve in her body suddenly registering his presence in ways she couldn't control.
"Don't confuse your pride with strength," the Aric said, his voice a honeyed, irresistible purr. "The harder you struggle, the better I like to crack you."
Her breathing came faster, and for a brief moment, she glanced away, eyes searching the ground. Was she trembling? Aric couldn't help but smile. The haughty noblewoman was cracking and he was the one who held the reins.
Aric closes the gap, forcing his body against hers, allowing his chest to sweetly graze hers. Selene sucked in air and tensed, her heart racing at the closeness. She wasn't accustomed to this — being so near, so exposed.
"Tell me, Selene," his lips were dangerously close to her ear, Aric whispered. "Do you feel the pull? The desire to submit?"
Her chest expanded and collapsed, but she did not answer. She was fighting it.
"Argue with me all you want, but you can't deny the truth," he continued, trailing his hand from her wrist to her shoulder. "I am your master now."
Selene's breath faltered, her body disloyal. The pull was undeniable. It made her feel, deep within. A heat rising in her chest, coursing through her veins, demanding that she view him as something other than a captor. He was a force, and she…
Selene's eyelids fluttered close, her lips quivering over words she could not voice. But her body said everything. She was ripe — about to be attached.
[System Prompt: Affects – 60%]
His hand gripped the back of her neck, just firm enough to shoot a jolt of electricity straight into her heart. The system pulsed. Brick by brick, her walls were crumbling, and Aric could see when she gave up the fight.
He tilted down, his mouth touching her ear. "You don't need to fight against it anymore. Not with me. You'll see… your life with me is going to be more than you dreamed."
The words made her body twitch, the promise he gave. This was it. The moment her will broke, even if only for a moment.
"Please…" she whispered. It was soft, an inconspicuous whisper, but it was enough. Which was enough for Aric to know she was his.
In a last deliberate motion, he slowly released the chains that bound her wrists. Selene did not move when they fell away. Her head down, her hands still, but something had subtly shifted.
She was no longer resisting.