Page 49 of Once A Villain

“Stop struggling. It will hurt more,” he warns.

“NO! LET ME GO! Please, Griffen!”

I thrash against his overpowering hold.

“Hold her still,” Axe snaps at Griffen.

“Griffen, please! Help me! Don’t do this!”

Griffen’s eyes darken as he stares at me, his grip firm on my body, holding me in place. “I’m sorry, Rory,” he whispers, his voice barely audible.

Sobs shake my body, choking out breaths between the raw cries. Axe yanks down my joggers, exposing my ass. I fight, scream, and beg, feeling Griffen’s grip tighten, crushing me further.

The metal touches my skin, and a scream unlike any I’ve ever known rips through me, a wail of sheer agony. It feels as though a knife is piercing me, searing and burning through my flesh. The pain is overwhelming beyond anything I’ve ever experienced.

I’m paralyzed, frozen by the blinding pain coursing through every nerve. The scent of my own flesh burning fills the air, mixing with the sharpness of pure agony.

“I warned you, Rory.” Axe’s voice cuts through the haze of pain. He kneels beside me, the branding iron radiating heat as he leans closer. “You belong to me. Next time you disobey me, I will lock you in a fucking cage and you won’t come out. Do you understand?” He tosses the key to the vow-bound collar at my feet. “Keep it,” he snaps, glaring at me.

Griffen’s grip loosens, and I pull away, scrambling to the corner of the room, curling into a ball.

“Fuck you,” I whimper weakly, barely able to form the words. The pain is crippling, my breath shallow and erratic.

“You should be thanking me,” Axe retorts. “That was your only warning.” He stands, tossing the branding iron into the fireplace, the sizzling sound swallowed by the crackling flames. I can barely register it before he turns and walks out, leaving me alone with Griffen.

My breath catches in my throat. My body is frozen, every muscle screaming to move, to run, but I can't. Griffen steps closer, and I jerk back instinctively.

"Get away from me," I rasp, my voice raw with panic.

Each step he takes brings a fresh wave of dread. Fear and pain swirl in my gut, mingling with a rage that makes me want to tear myself apart. "I said, get away from me!"

Tears streak down my face, but I don’t even feel them. My pulse thunders in my ears, drowning everything out. He pauses briefly, then leaves.

I can't think straight, can't make sense of anything. I curl up on the floor, gasping for air. The room spins around me, the burn searing into every inch of my skin. I try to scream, but my throat is raw, and nothing but broken sobs come out, each breath a battle.

Eventually, I push myself to my feet. My legs buckle, and I stumble, leaning against the wall. Each step is agonizing, but I keep going. I grip the railing with white knuckles, dragging myself up the stairs one step at a time.

Finally, I stumble to my bedroom, crashing onto the bed. I bury my face in the pillow, muffling the screams and tears I know are coming, but right now, it hurts too much to let them out.

I just want the pain to stop.

All I can hope for is that I never wake up again.

“What the fuck was that, Axel? Have you lost your goddamn mind?!” Griffen’s voice slices through the night as he follows me outside.

The cold air hits my face, a sharp contrast to the inferno raging inside me. I take a deep breath, trying to rein in the need for violence that’s burning through my veins. My fists clenched so hard my knuckles ache.

“Back the fuck off,” I growl, not bothering to look at him.

“No. Fuck you!” he snaps, as he closes in. “You just had me restrain your fucking wife while you branded her!”

“She’s not my wife. And it was necessary.”

“Necessary? Fucking hell.” He shoves me hard, and I stumble back, my shoulder hitting the fence. He’s in my face now, close enough that I can feel the heat of his anger. “Whatever she did, she didn’t deserve that!”

“She disobeyed me. She needed to learn her lesson.”

“That was a fucked-up move. Even for you.”

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