Page 51 of Once A Villain

Hours drag by in darkness. The chains around our necks bite deeper every time we shift. Every hour, the hope drains a little more, replaced by the brutal understanding: this isn’t a punishment. It’s a lesson.

Footsteps. Heavy. Deliberate. The door creaks open, spilling light across the floor, and I hear the familiar jingle of keys. My father steps inside, his boots scraping against the concrete. Relief floods my body, but it’s poisoned with dread. The lock clicks.

“Axel.” He unlocks my cage, and I stumble out, the chains dragging along the floor behind me. My skin is raw, burned from the iron, but I keep my head down, swallowing the pain.

“You’ve held out,” he says, his cold eyes assessing me. “That’s what it means to be a Hawthorne. Resilience. Strength. You did well.”

“Thank you, Dad,” I whisper, though my voice cracks.

He turns, walking toward the door. But then I realize something’s wrong. He’s leaving Lucas.

“Dad…Lucas?—”

“No, Axel. Just you.” His words are sharp, final.

“What? No! You can’t leave him, he’s?—”

“Silence!” He spins on me, eyes blazing. “You think you can protect him? Save him? Lucas is fucking weak, Axel. Not you. You’re stronger—but not if you cling to that pathetic bond. It’ll break you. It’ll get you killed. He’ll get you killed.”

“Please, Dad,” I beg, tears choking me. “He’s my brother!”

Lucas’s voice is barely a whisper now. “Axel, don’t leave me…”

“And that’s exactly why he’ll be your downfall.” His hand cracks across my face, the sharp sting forcing my head to the side. “Feel that!” he barks. “Pain is all you’re allowed to feel. That’s the only thing that’ll keep you alive.”

He grabs my face, his fingers digging into my jaw, forcing me to meet his furious gaze.

“Listen to me, Axel. Emotions. Attachment. Make you soft. Out there, the moment you hesitate for someone else, you’re fucking dead.”

My chest tightens. I look at Lucas, but I’m frozen.

My father sneers. “Pathetic.” He grabs me by the shirt and flings me back into the cage, slamming the door shut behind me. The lock clicks, a death sentence to any hope I had left.

“Stay here until you learn,” he snarls. “You can rot in this cage if you think giving a damn about anyone but yourself will get you anywhere. You’re no Hawthorne, no Sovereign, if you can’t cut him loose. Strength. Survival. That’s all that matters. Forget him—or die.”

He unlocks Lucas’s cage, pulling him out roughly. Lucas screams my name as our father drags him away. His cries echo down the hall, slowly fading into nothing.

I sit in the dark, alone.

I can’t be weak.

I can’t show emotion.

I have to be strong.

I’m a Hawthorne.

Istare at the text I sent to the masked man.

Me: Starlight Pavilion, Dressing room 1B

There is no time, no date, just the location of where to find me—the real me, not Jade. I sent it two hours ago, and there’s no reply—not that I expected one.

Fuck Axel.

Fuck the Sovereign.

It’s been six days since he branded me. Rosa’s taken care of me—cleaning the wound, bringing me food, trying to make me eat—but my appetite’s been nonexistent. I was a wreck—sobbing, overwhelmed, consumed by fear, the pain of the brand throbbing through me.

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