Page 107 of Her Soul to Own

“I’ve learned something over the past few days. About who I am. About who I want to be. And I will no longer allow my story to be told through a lens of shame and scandal. This is my story, and I will take it back.”

I look up at the camera for a moment, my eyes burning with the intensity of everything I’m feeling right now. There’s a part of me that wants to crawl into myself and retreat into the safety of solitude. But I don’t. I can’t. Not now. Not ever.

“I don’t need anyone to believe me right now. I just need to say it. So if you think you can control me, I’m done being yourpawn. This is who I am. And I will stand tall, no matter how many knives you try to bury in my back.”

I stop. The room feels like it’s been holding its breath. My heart is hammering in my chest, but I continue, “#ReclaimTheLens. Spread it however you like. But I’m no longer your spectacle. I’m a fucking woman. A living, breathing human with feelings. And that’s all you need to know.”

I hit stop. The screen wavers for a moment before it goes dark, and my heart stops for a split second. I lean back in the chair and stare at the blank screen, letting it load.

Finally, the screen flashes. It’s live. It’s out there. And within seconds, the notifications start flooding in.

I stand, pace the room, and press my palms against the cool windowsill. The storm outside has started. But inside, I feel a fire building. There’s no turning back from this.

I walk over to the window and look out at the darkened sky, wondering how long I can keep up this fight before it breaks me.

The sound of Silas’s footsteps outside catches my attention. He’s outside the door, waiting for me. I can feel him.

Chapter 27 – Silas – The Sanctity of Ruin

The moment I step into the office and see her waiting by the desk, I shut the door with a hard click and turn the lock. She spins around to face me just as I walk toward her like we’re magnets snapping into place.

We don’t need words right now. We’ve stayed away from each other for long enough. I can’t bear it anymore. I need to feel Lyra. I need to feel her from the inside out and from the way she’s looking at me. And so does she.

We collide, fierce, desperate, and unstoppable. Her fingers claw at my shirt while my mouth claims hers, all teeth and hunger. Our bodies fit together with chaotic urgency, our tongues, lips, and groans tangling in each other. I back her toward the desk, intent on bending her over it, but our feet catch, and we crash to the carpet, and I end up caging her against the floor with my arms.

“You alright?” I mutter, barely able to catch my breath.

“Fine,” Lyra gasps, her hand gripping my collar and dragging me back to her mouth like she can’t bear a second of space between us. Her kiss is wild and reckless, and the soft heat I feel through her skirt only pushes me further over the edge.

“I’m going to fuck you,” I growl into her kiss, my voice nothing but heat and desire. It isn’t a question. It’s a fact. A fucking promise.

My hand slides down her thigh, and I realize she isn’t wearing a damn thing underneath.

“Jesus, Lyra,” I mutter, my fingers brushing bare heat. “You’re so fucking obscene.”

She arches into my hand, silently begging for more, her breath catching as I slide two fingers inside her, fast, deep, and fucking merciless. She is drenched, and her needy little moans only make me rougher, my words turning vile with lust.

“Such a filthy little thing… dripping like this… greedy slut. You love this, don’t you?”

Her hips buck under my hand, and the way her fingers twist into my shirt makes my cock throb. Ishouldfeel guilty for the way I’m talking to her right now, but the fire in her eyes tells me she wants it just as bad. Maybe worse.

I crush my mouth to hers, tasting her ragged breath, and shove my boxers low enough to free my cock. Then, I plunge into her with a savage thrust, all heat and friction and raw fucking need.

She wraps her legs tight around my waist, locking me to her like she’s trying to fuse our bodies together, while her arms loop around my neck as if she can’t bear to let me go. Her mouth is everywhere—my neck, cheek, jaw, lips—hot and frantic and hungry. Under me, Lyra squirms like a live current is running through her, each movement stoking the fire already burning out of control.

I pound into her, giving in to every demon clawing at my chest—rage, obsession, possessiveness. I want her destroyed by me. Marked by me. I want her wrecked so deeply that no one else would ever dare try. I want to own every sound that falls from her lips and every inch of skin beneath my hands.

I’ll keep fucking her until she forgets what it’s like to be untouched. I’ll keep fucking her until the only name she can remember is mine.

And fuck, I’m close. Every thrust draws me to the edge, and every squeeze of her around me makes it harder to hold back. But one thought, dark and glinting, refuses to leave me. I pressharder into her, grinding my hips to hit her clit just right. Her entire body tenses beneath me. She’s nearly there.

“I want to take your ass, Lyra,” I rasp, dragging my nose along the sharp line of her jaw and making her tremble. “Let me fuck your ass.”

She gasps, half moan, half prayer. “Oh God… yes. Please.”

That’s all I need.

There’s no time to move, no need to find someplace better. I have what I need just outside in the cabinet beside the bookshelf, where old first aid kits and other forgotten office junk collect dust. I pull out of her with a groan, my cock flushed and angry, already missing the heat of her.

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