MY DOG HUSBAND

CHAPTER FOUR

Right beside the bed, I saw him again—my husband.

His cold presence filled the room. His expression was unreadable, and those icy blue eyes… I tried so hard not to look into them, yet they pulled me in. They were too bright, too sharp—terrifying, yet strangely captivating.

I quickly lowered my gaze and bowed my head in respect, just as Steve had instructed.

Then I heard his voice.

But his lips didn’t move.

It echoed inside my head.

“I am your husband. You will show me respect… and you will fear me, or face the consequences.”

My body stiffened as I slowly rose from the bed.

“My name is Luca Blackthorn. I am a prince—the heir to the throne of Dreadveil Palace.”

A heavy silence followed.

He was waiting for a response… but I couldn’t speak. I was listening—every word sinking deep, sending chills crawling down my spine. Fear wrapped around me so tightly I could barely breathe.

Then suddenly—

“Mira.”

The way he said my name—sharp, loud, commanding—felt like something ready to devour me whole.

At once, my knees gave out, and I fell to the ground.

For a brief moment, he looked… surprised. But just as quickly, his expression returned to stone. No concern. No emotion.

Though somehow… I felt like, deep down, he cared.

“Get some rest,” he said, his tone lighter but still heavy with authority. “We will continue this tomorrow.”

But I didn’t want tomorrow.

I didn’t even realize when my lips moved.

“Hold on…” I whispered.

His gaze snapped to me instantly.

“What is the issue?”

My voice trembled, but I forced the words out.

“I want to know why I’m here… how you know my name… and what kind of situation I’ve been dragged into.”

He was quiet for a moment before responding.

“I am not just any prince. I am a shapeshifter. This palace is filled with magic. I know who enters and who leaves.”

A pause.

“For some reason, I cannot see your future… but I know everything about your past. How you got here. Who you are.”

My heart pounded harder.

“All you need to do is stay where you are. Do not attempt to escape. Everything else will fall into place.”

That wasn’t enough.

My fear slowly turned into frustration.

“That doesn’t answer my question,” I said, my voice slightly louder now.

His expression darkened.

“The audacity…” he said coldly. “To question me after I said it was enough.”

A chill ran through me. I had crossed a line.

“I am sure Steve told you the rules.”

His voice dropped—dangerously calm.

“For defying me, you will spend the night in the dungeon.”

Before I could react—

He let out a loud bark.

And everything changed.

The room vanished.

Darkness swallowed me whole.

There was no bed. No light. No comfort.

Only a cold iron gate.

A cage.

My breath hitched as I realized—I was trapped.

Then I saw them.

Eyes.

So many eyes.

Watching me from the darkness.

I wasn’t alone.

Fear crept into every step as I moved closer, desperate to see what lurked within the shadows.

Then—

Pain.

A sharp, tearing pain across my left arm.

I gasped as blood poured from a deep gash, like something had clawed through my flesh.

It didn’t take my arm—but it might as well have.

The bleeding wouldn’t stop.

Tears streamed down my face as I screamed,

“Help! Please—someone help me!”

But my voice echoed into nothing.

No footsteps.

No response.

No escape.

My vision blurred.

The pain grew heavier.

And slowly…

Everything went dark.

When I opened my eyes, I was back in my room.

Lying on my bed.

Steve sat beside me, while the dog—no… Luca—stood at the far end of the bed, watching.

I couldn’t speak.

I was too shaken.

Too broken.

Then Steve spoke softly.

“Miss… that was only an illusion. You felt the pain, yes—but none of it was real.”

I swallowed hard.

“However,” he continued, “it is a glimpse… of what will happen if you attempt to escape or defy the master.”

Silence filled the room again.

And in that moment, one thought echoed loudly in my mind—

How am I supposed to love… a monster in the form of a dog?

Because whatever this was—

It wasn’t just a marriage.

It was a war.

And it had only just begun.