Chapter 5: Desire in Fear

Merin awoke in her own bed, not in the cold basement. Her body was clean and dressed in a new silk nightgown. The memory of Lisena’s lesson was still fresh and vivid in her mind. The feeling of being completely controlled… it was frightening, but at the same time, it left a strange sense of peace in her once-shattered heart.

…Several days later, Merin’s life fell into a new cycle. During the day, Lisena would sometimes visit her. The elegant female Alpha would bring books or sweets, speaking to her in a soft voice as if she were a cherished treasure.

Those actions confused Merin. She didn't know whether to believe that feigned gentleness, but it was like a nectar that soothed her parched heart.

At night, however, Aries was still the owner of her body. The cold Alpha continued to violate her with raw brutality and never showed mercy. But what had changed was the response of Merin’s own body…

One night.

Shortly after Lisena had left, Aries opened the door to her room at her usual time. The familiar scent of a blizzard and steel filled the room, but this time, Merin didn't feel the usual paralyzing fear. She sat still on the bed, silently watching the female Alpha take off her clothes.

When Aries climbed on top of her and began the nightly punishment, Merin’s body completely betrayed her mind. Instead of numb pain, it burned hot and responded shamefully to every harsh touch. Her love channel, once dry, became moist, willingly welcoming Aries’s large shaft. Moans she had tried to suppress escaped her lips uncontrollably.

Aries paused slightly when she noticed the change. Her sharp eyes stared deep into Merin’s, as if searching for an answer. But she said nothing, merely returning to thrust into her body with even greater force and violence, as if to test how much this body could take.

That night, Merin was forced to climax again and again under Aries’s body. It wasn't the sweet release that Lisena gave her, but a violent, raw one. It was the feeling of being filled to overflowing, a reinforcement that she truly belonged to this Alpha.

After everything was over, Aries pulled away from her body with the same indifference as always, leaving Merin panting on the rumpled bed. Confusion flooded her mind with overwhelming force. She hated Aries’s violence, but why did her body crave it? She was terrified of Lisena, but why did she feel calm under her control?

She feared both Alphas… but at the same time, she desired them with an undeniable longing.

Aries was the raging storm that made her feel her own existence through pain. Lisena was the mysterious calm that took control of everything for her, so she didn't have to think, didn't have to feel…

The conflict in her heart weakened Merin with each passing moment. She became even more listless, lost in a private world no one could reach. The thought that she was just a worthless object, a toy being passed around, circled in her head over and over.

One night, all those feelings came crashing down.

She lay curled up on the bed after Aries had left. The tears she had tried to hold back flowed silently. She didn't cry out loud, but her body trembled with suppressed sobs.

She cried for her fate, cried for her weakness, and most importantly… she cried for the self-hatred she felt for desiring these cruel touches.

‘I’m disgusting… despicable…’

She repeated to herself in her mind, trying to cover her mouth with her hand to keep the sobs from escaping. But she didn't know that those stifled, trembling moans were the most dangerous sound in this mansion.

Bang!

The door was thrown open with such force that it slammed against the wall!

Aries’s tall figure stood there. Her face was as cold and impassive as ever, but her smoke-gray eyes blazed with a murky, unprecedented fury. The aura of an enraged Alpha radiated out, so oppressive that Merin could barely breathe.

“Who gave you permission to cry?”

Her voice was colder than polar ice. Merin flinched violently, hastily wiping the tears from her face. “I… I’m sorry… I…”

“My punishment wasn’t enough for you, was it? Is that why you have the energy to lie here and blubber?” Aries said, stepping slowly into the room. Each step was like a predator about to pounce on its prey.

Merin scrambled back until she was pressed against the headboard, terrified beyond measure. “No… it’s not that… please…”

“Shut up,” Aries snapped. She came to a stop beside the bed, looking down at Merin with eyes that were now on fire. “It seems I have to teach you a new lesson… a lesson that will make you understand what your tears… are really for.”

As she finished speaking, her rough hand grabbed Merin’s arm and yanked her forcefully from the bed, dragging her to the center of the room where the moonlight was streaming in. Tonight… the punishment would not end as easily as it had on previous nights.