Page 21 of Owned By the Hvrok

Not because she wanted to.

But because now… she had no idea what choice meant anymore.

CHAPTER 15

The room was an operating theater. That was the first thing that struck her—how unnaturally clean everything was. Too bright. Too precise. No shadows. No seams. No flaws. Just blinding white walls and gleaming floors that turned her skin to something pale and foreign. She felt flayed open by the light, laid bare without even having to remove her clothes.

Kyhin stepped to the side, graceful as always, his movements disturbingly fluid for someone so massive. His six-fingered hand swept in a silent command toward the center of the chamber.

She followed the motion.

A recessed alcove gleamed at the far end. Mist drifted lazily from invisible vents, curling like ghostly fingers in the air. Drops of water clung to smooth vertical panels—silver on silver. There were no taps, no nozzles. Just a strange, metallic beauty. Minimal. Alien. Clinical.

A shower.

Her stomach dropped.

Then, his gaze. Sharp. Direct.

And the motion of his hand.

Down.

No words. No need for them.

Undress.

Something in her snapped.

Her arms clamped around herself with a jerk, breath punching out of her lungs. “Are youserious?”

He didn’t respond.

“Absolutely not.” Her voice was louder than she intended—raw, furious, scraping. “I’m not doing this.”

His head tilted—just a fraction—but it felt like a slap. Like he couldn’t comprehend why she was resisting. As if her refusal was a variable outside the scope of his programming. Or maybe he did understand—and just didn’tcare.

“I said no,” she bit out, more forcefully this time, her fingers digging into her arms. “No.No.I don’t know what kind of sick expectation you’ve got in that shiny death-head of yours, but I’m not your plaything. You can’t just—gesture at me like I’m a damn doll and expect me to drop my clothes.”

Behind him, his wings gave a faint twitch.

And then he stepped toward her.

Sylvia’s mouth went dry. Her limbs vibrated with panic, but she didn’t back away this time.

“You think I’m afraid of you?” she spat, trembling. “Is that what this is? You loom a little, and I’ll fold like one of your pretty little acquisitions? You think I don’tseewhat you’re doing?”

He said nothing.

He just kept walking.

One step. Then another. Slow. Intentional.

Her heart pounded like it was trying to escape her chest. Rage boiled beneath her skin, hot and dizzying. Not fear—fury. She hated how quiet he was. How untouchable. How unreadable beneath that dark, faceless armor. She couldn’t see his expression. Couldn’t measure anything. Couldn’t find a single crack in the wall he presented to her.

It made her want to scream.

“Show me yourface,” she snapped, breath ragged. “If you’re going to humiliate me like this, at least have the decency to look me in the eye while you do it.”

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