Page 33 of Owned By the Hvrok

He paused at the sealed door to her quarters. The corridor was dim here—lit by narrow lines of bioluminescence embedded in the walls. Quiet. Secure. These rooms had no windows. They locked from the outside.

He placed his palm against the panel. The door slid open with a whisper.

A single bed. Sanitation unit. Nutrition module. Climate controls set to Terran standard. No sharp objects. No access to navigation. The necessary accommodations.

He gestured.

“Vral’in seh.”

You stay here.

She didn’t move.

He waited.

Then pointed—more firmly this time—toward the room’s interior.

“Vral’in.”

She understood the tone, if not the words. She obeyed. Slowly. Resentfully. The tension in her spine was visible with every step she took inside. Her bare feet made no sound on the soft flooring. The dress clung to her like a second skin as she walked.

He watched her. Studied the line of her shoulders, the set of her jaw. That stubborn tilt to her chin. She was furious again.

Good.

It meant she still had fire left.

He stayed in the doorway, not following her in. Not yet.

He couldn’t.

The scent of her clung too close now. Even suppressed, even filtered—it stirred something low and hot inside him. Something unwelcome. Somethingdistracting.

His hand flexed at his side, fingers curling into a fist.

Control yourself.

He gave a final command—this time with a tone that carried weight, unmistakable.

Then the door sealed between them.

He stood there for a moment longer in the corridor, alone again.

Only… it didn’t feel like it used to.

CHAPTER 21

The door sealed with a hiss.

She was inside.

Alone. Contained.His.

He remained outside.

At first, simply to listen. Just for a moment.

But then, heheardit.

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