An equal?

JULIETTE

I knocked on the heavy oak door, my fist landing harder than I meant, but the sound came out strangely soft. I waited, my head wobbled in anticipation, hoping for a response from Darius.

I hadn’t been able to sleep. The weight of my own words kept me awake. I hadn’t apologized yet, and it burned inside me. His threat to punish me echoed in my mind, and the fear of it pressed down on me until I couldn’t take it anymore.

Yes, maybe I had run my mouth more than I should have. Maybe I believed he deserved the sharp edge of my tongue because of the way he had treated me. He had done worse. He had hurt me. But still, I knew I should have been smarter.

He was Darius. He held the power, the authority, and the control. He could do whatever he pleased with me. Testing him and provoking him? That would always be reckless. I couldn’t afford that kind of mistake. Not with him.

“Come in.” His voice rang out from the other side, deep and commanding. Relief flooded through me, and I let out a shaky breath as I pushed the door open.

The room was dim. Darius was stretched out on his bed, and his gaze was fixed on the ceiling. His expression was unreadable, and his body still, as if he was caught in thoughts far away from me. He looked tired, but not from sleep, tired in a way that came from carrying too much inside.

I stepped inside quietly, unsure if I should speak or wait for him to acknowledge me. My pulse beat fast in my throat.

“Alpha…” My voice came out soft, almost hesitant.

“Why are you here, Juliette?” he cut me off sharply, his tone cold. “Go back to your room and study.”

“I will,” I said quickly, forcing myself to step forward. “But I came to apologize. I’m sorry for meddling in your personal business.”

Darius’s head lifted at that, his eyes locking on me as if he hadn’t expected the words. Maybe it surprised him. For me, it wasn’t so much sincerity as survival. I needed to escape his wrath, to get back on his good side, to avoid humiliation—or something worse.

He sat up slowly, narrowing his eyes. “Do you think my forgiveness comes that easily?”

I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from rolling my eyes. I forced myself to stay still, my voice steady. “No. I just want to atone for my mistake.”

Darius scoffed, the sound sharp. “And how do you intend to do that?”

“I already did,” I answered bluntly, holding his gaze even though my stomach twisted.

He rose from the bed in one smooth motion, and I instantly felt my throat tighten. I took an instinctive step back.

“Stop!” he growled.

My body froze. My feet locked to the floor before I even thought about it.

He stepped closer, his eyes fixed on me. “You have never, Juliette, stormed into my room to offer a flimsy apology as your atonement for sin.”

“Sin?” My brows knitted together as I frowned. “It was a mistake. I don’t believe I sinned—”

“Shhh.” Darius’s fingers pressed firmly against my lips, cutting me off, forcing silence.

His eyes burned into mine. “I am your owner. Your master. I tell you what you did wrong, and you accept it without complaint. When I say you sinned against me, you believe and accept that you sinned against me.”

He released my mouth at last, and I immediately raised my hand to rub my lips where his fingers had been. Heat and shame burned across my skin.

I wanted to argue. My chest was tight with frustration, but I swallowed it down. I had asked for this by coming here. I forced myself to nod.

“Yes, Alpha…”

“Master,” he corrected sharply, his gaze unwavering.

I hesitated for only a second before lowering my head. “Yes, Master.”

His smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth, his satisfaction clear. “Good. Now scurry along before I change my mind.”

When the command came, I obeyed instantly. I bolted out of the room, and relief washed through me that it hadn’t gone further than an apology. And yet, deep inside, there was a sick, confusing part of me that had expected something else.

THREE DAYS LATER…

I stood behind Darius's, cold light metal resting on my neck, while I clenched and unclenched my door.

The heavy doors of the courtroom parted, and all eyes turned. The same scenery, just a different day.

Unfortunately, I had been involuntarily invited to these nightmares called functions filled with crack heads and headless bitches hiding behind their titles and money.

I walked behind Darius, mirroring his footsteps. Thank the Goddess I wasn't chained today, well except for the golden collar around my neck, the symbol of his ownership towards me.

When Ria showed up with the box, I instantly knew this was another scheme of humiliation Darius had planned for me. However, it was good to know that Ria was back and doing fine, fortunately, Stacy's mother survived, and it was the best thing happening at the moment, aside from the night lessons with Darius, which were surprisingly going great.

It took my mind off the function for a while, but after I got dressed, everything came crashing down on my shoulders.

And now?

It was time to put up a fight and try to save what was left of my dignity.

The grand hall stretched endlessly, filled with the same faces, clad in their silks and jeweled crowns, their voices were hushed as we entered.

It was the same as always, and frankly, I was starting to get tired of it. Tired of imagining myself smacking their heads with a rod that could reset their foolishness with a bit of sense.

Hundreds of eyes remained glued to us. Some filled with disgust, the classic. Some flashed off their satisfactory smirk, content with the fact that I was claimed, collared, and being paraded for their entertainment, the sick psychopaths. And others leaned forward, their gaze filled with curiosity, the fools who will, oblivious, learn nothing in the end. And then a few looked at me with envy, hating the fact that Darius was holding the leash, while I walked with him, these I call the blind.

I had gotten used to their nonsense, so I kept my chin up, letting them look all they wanted. If they wanted to stare, let them stare until they grew tired of it.

My eyes swept across the hall, and a small smirk tugged at my lips. It wasn’t joy—it was defiance. A way of saying I didn’t care about their whispers, their curses, the names they called me behind half-covered mouths. None of them had the courage to say it to my face.

“Whore!”

“Bitch!”

“Slut!”

“The audacity of this woman, walking amongst us like she belongs,” a voice called out from somewhere in the crowd.

Darius stopped.

The suddenness of it made me halt beside him, caught off guard. My chest tightened. My first thought was that this was the moment—this was why he had brought me here. For humiliation. I braced myself, half-expecting his dark chuckle, ready to see him take satisfaction in the insult. Surely, he would let his people vent their hatred at me. Surely, he wanted me broken by their voices.

But instead his deep voice cut through the noise of the hall. It was steady, very commanding, and also very impossible to ignore.

“She will be equal to you soon.”

A shiver ran through me as my head snapped toward him, and I nearly gasped, but the sound died in my throat. The crowd reacted before I could, voices bursting into disbelief.

Equal?

My mind scrambled. Did I hear him correctly? Was Darius serious. . .or was this another one of his games, a cruel trick meant to confuse me further?

Darius tugged at the leash and continued to his throne. I silently followed behind him, still in a daze.

Why did he make such a declaration? Was this because of the books and night lessons he offered me?

I cannot help but think to myself, what is Darius planning?