Chapter 6: He was going to kill me

Ivory's POV

My heart pounded wildly as I ran, my breath coming in short, uneven gasps. The hallway blurred past me, but I didn’t slow down. I just needed to get out.

When I finally caught sight of the exit ahead, relief filled my chest.

Just a little more. Once I crossed that gate, I’d be free. I could leave all of this behind and start over somewhere no one knew me.

But just as I pushed forward, I collided into someone.

The impact was sudden and hard. Glass shattered around me. I staggered back, holding my head as pain hit me. “Ah,” I winced, blinking through the dizziness as I looked up.

A man stood in front of me, holding what remained of a tray. His face twisted in anger.

“I’m really sorry, I didn’t—” I started, but I didn’t even get to finish.

His hand stretched out toward me.

I froze, my body locking up. My eyes shut tightly, bracing for the slap.

But it never came. There was complete silence.

Slowly, I opened one eye.

Then the other. A hand had caught his wrist just before he could hit me.

Hakan.

My breath hitched as I stared at him.

“What exactly were you about to do?” Hakan asked, his voice low. His jaw was clenched.

The man trembled instantly, his other hand shaking as he tried to speak. “She… she broke the glasses we were bringing to serve you and the guests,” he stammered.

Hakan raised a brow slightly. “And your solution was to hit her? My mate?”

The man’s eyes widened in panic. “No…no, I didn’t mean… I didn’t know—”

Hakan’s grip tightened.

The man cried out as his wrist twisted unnaturally. “Ahh!”

“You didn’t know?” Hakan repeated, his tone dropping further. “You didn’t know she was my mate?”

Mate.

The word rang loudly in my ears.

“I…I didn’t know! I swear.” the man cried.

Hakan’s expression didn’t change. “So even if she wasn’t, your first instinct is to raise your hand against a woman?”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” the man begged, his voice breaking.

I stood there, frozen, my heart still racing.

I turned slightly and saw Callum rushing in, along with Lucille. Her eyes immediately went to Hakan, then to the man whose wrist was still caught in his grip.

“Hakan, please stop,” Lucille said quickly, stepping forward. “You know how strong you are. You’re going to break his bones.”

Hakan didn’t even look at her. His gaze remained fixed on the man. “What do you think I intend to do?” he replied calmly.

A chill ran down my spine.

Callum stepped in next. “Hakan, please. Let him go. He won’t do something like that again.”

“That’s if he’s alive to try,” Hakan said flatly.

My eyes widened.

I looked at the man properly this time. Sweat poured down his face, his body trembling violently from the pain. His pleading eyes flickered toward me, as though silently begging.

Why was he looking at me like that?

Did he think… I could stop this?

My heart began to pound again. Hakan’s grip tightened again.

The man let out a broken scream.

I flinched instinctively, my hands curling at my sides as I watched. Everything inside me twisted. I didn’t like him. He had tried to hit me. But this felt like too much.

I swallowed hard, my voice barely steady. “S-stop…”

The man’s scream slowly died down, and I lifted my head, my eyes wide as I realized Hakan had stopped. His grip loosened, and he finally let go of the man’s wrist.

I just stood there, staring at him.

He had stopped… because I spoke?

My chest tightened at that realization, and I didn’t know why it made me feel so unsettled. When I looked up at him again, his gaze had darkened, fixed on me in a way I couldn’t understand.

Before I could even process anything, Lucille let out a quiet scoff. I turned slightly and saw the anger on her face. “Stopped because she said so,” She muttered then walked off, her steps stiff.

Callum shifted his attention to the man, who was still shaking from the pain. “Get someone to clean this up and report to my office immediately,” he said firmly.

“Ye…yes, Beta,” the man replied quickly, bowing despite his condition.

Callum gave a brief nod before turning and heading back inside, leaving the scene behind.

And just like that, it was quiet.

I swallowed slowly, suddenly aware that it was just the two of us now.

Hakan stood in front of me, his presence overwhelming, his gaze still locked on mine.

I swallowed hard, my heart racing wildly in my chest.

Before I could even take a step back, Hakan reached out and grabbed my wrist. My eyes widened as he turned and pulled me along with him, dragging me back into the building.

I stumbled slightly, trying to keep up, my body trembling. He looked angry…no, furious, and that only made my fear spike even more.

He was going to kill me.

The thought made it hard to even breathe. If only I had run faster, if only I hadn’t bumped into that man I would have been out of here by now. But now, I had only made things worse.

I glanced at his hand gripping mine. He had just twisted that man’s arm like it was nothing. If he could do that to someone like him, then what about me? I was weak and malnourished. He could break me without even trying.

We got back to the room I had woken up in earlier. The moment we stepped inside, he shut the door firmly behind us. The sound echoed, making my heart jump. He pulled me forward and pushed me down to the bed.

My breath hitched.

I immediately started looking around, panic filling in my chest. His eyes darted from one corner of the room to another, searching.

My heart skipped.

Was he going to whip me?

I needed to do something. Anything.

As he started walking toward me again, I moved before I could think. I slid off the bed and dropped to my knees, my hands pressing against the floor as I lowered my head.

“Please forgive me,” I said quickly, my voice shaking. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…”

Heavy silence followed.

I could hear my own heartbeat in my ears as I waited.

Then, finally, his voice came. “Forgive you?”