PROLOGUE

Pain.

It wasn't the kind that faded with time.

It was a deep, raw and utterly ripping kind. The type that seeped so deep into your skin then settled in your bones. The kind that alters your brain chemistry and makes you question your own sanity.

That was how I felt right now, shackled in the cold, hard dimly lit basement. I had expected this, planned for this.

But nothing had prepared me for them.

The door creaked open and the thick scent of colony and gunpowder that could only belong to one man filtered into the room. Slow deliberate footsteps echoed against the stone floor. I didn't lift my head, I didn't need to because I already knew who it was..

Luca Rossi.

The man I had been sent to destroy.

The man who now owned me.

“Still breathing?” His voice was as smooth as silk yet as sharp as steel as it carried authority.

The metal cuffs dug into my wrists, it kept digging further into my already raw wrist, blood dripping lazily down my arm. My shirt was gone as well— it had been ripped off my body hours ago leaving my bare chest exposed to the cold. My knees ache from kneeling on the concrete floor for so long. I was so close to snapping.

But I didn’t.

I couldn’t.

I clenched my jaw, tilting my head slightly, taking a deep breath then exhaling.I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of an answer.

The sound of another pair of footsteps filled the air, this time heavier and filled with confidence. It could only be one cruel person, Matteo Marino. 

Luca’s best friend and right hand man.

The man that has broken me and continues to break me.

I felt him before I saw him, the heat radiated off him in waves as he crochet in front of me. He reached out, tracing a calloused finger over the bruise forming on my ribs. I didn't flinch, even when he pressed down so hard that it made me groan.

“Fuck, I love that sound,” Matteo murmured, voice as sharp as predator and filled with lust. “Don’t you, Luca?”

Luca hummed in agreement. “It's fantastic. Such a sweet sound from a brat.”

Matteo’s finger began to trail down until it got to the waistband of my slacks. He rubbed his finger lightly above my happy trail, teasing me. I stiffened at the touch, my breath seizing. This made me lift my head.

He smirked.

“You tense up like that every time I touch you. I’m starting to think you like it.”

I drew in a sharp breath, meeting his gaze with fury blazing in mine. “Go to hell.”

His smirk widened. “Darling, I’ve lived there my whole life. You? You’re just getting started.”

I felt Luca walk up behind me, his aura dark and commanding. Then, his long, strong slender fingers weaved through my sweat damp hair and yanked it back.

Pain exploded through my scalp, making me hiss but his grip didn't loosen.

“You were sent to infiltrate my family,” Luca said, his tone almost sounding bored, like my betrayal was merely an inconvenience rather than a personal offense. “You lied, schemed, pretended to be one of us. And yet, here you are.”

His grip tightened to the point where I felt like he was going to rip my scalp from my skull but it felt oddly… pleasuring.

I knew what they wanted. Submission.

They wouldn’t get it.

“You can kill me,” I said. “But I won’t break.”

Matteo laughed, a low feline sound. He sounded like I had just given him the most pleasing challenge of his life.

“Oh, sweet  pretty boy,” he purred, tracing his fingers along the edge of my jaw, forcing me to look at him. “You’re not here to die, certainty not. That would be far too easy.”

Luca's hold on my hair loosened then he did something I never expected.

He tilted my head to the side, granting him access to my exposed throat.

The air shifted to someone more… sensual.

Then, he pressed a slow, deliberate kiss on my pulse sending a violent shiver through my body.

Not from fear.

Not from pain.

But from something else.

Something far more dangerous. Something forbidden.

I bit the inside of my cheek so hard that I drew blood.

Matteo chuckled again. “See, Luca? He’s already learning.”

Luca pulled away, his face finally coming into view. His lips curved slightly, a ghost of a smile. “You’re going to be a good boy for us, Elias.”

Not a request. A demand.

His tone held a promise— a promise of something dark and twisted if I don't comply.

Finally, for the first time since I stepped foot in their territory, I felt fear. It slithered down my spine, colder than the basement itself.

I was scared because I wasn't sure if I was more afraid of what they would do to me—

Or the part of me that wanted to let them.

This was a game of control.

A game I wasn't sure I was winning anymore.

A game I wasn't sure I wanted to win.