The entire day had passed, yet Jacob still couldn't move his body properly.
Even the slightest shift sent a sharp, splitting pain through him, as if his body were being torn in two—most especially in his lower half. Every inch of him ached, every muscle strained, reminding him of the punishment he had endured.
No matter how much he tried to forget it…
His body refused to let him.
The marks scattered across his skin were enough to keep the memory alive—fresh, vivid, and inescapable.
At that very moment, Jacob lay submerged in the bathtub, the cold water wrapping around him like a desperate attempt at comfort. He had been there for hours, silently hoping the water would wash everything away—the pain, the marks, and most of all… the lingering sensation of Damon's touch.
But nothing disappeared.
If anything, it only made everything clearer.
He hadn't expected Damon to go that far.
To cross that line so completely.
Damon hadn't claimed him out of affection… nor desire rooted in love.
He claimed him because he could.
Because Jacob belonged to him.
Because in Damon's eyes, he was nothing more than a possession.
An obsession.
And even if Jacob tried to run—tried to escape—
He knew.
Damon would find him.
He would always find him.
The thought alone was enough to make his chest tighten.
There had been countless times when Jacob had considered leaving. Walking away. Turning his back on everything.
But something always stopped him.
Guilt.
It wrapped tightly around his heart, heavier than chains.
Damon had never failed to remind him—again and again—that his life in the pack, his obedience, his very existence under Damon's rule… was the price he had to pay.
A debt.
A debt for Damon's father, who had once saved his life.
That was the reason Jacob stayed.
The reason he couldn't leave.
But deep inside, he knew…
That wasn't the only reason.
Even if he denied it—no matter how much he tried to bury it—there was something else tying him to Damon.
Something far more dangerous.
A feeling that had grown over the years, quietly, stubbornly… until it became something he could no longer control.
Jacob had feelings for him.
For the very man he feared.
And that terrified him more than anything Damon had ever done.
Because falling for someone like Damon—
Meant destruction.
He knew how this would end.
One day, Damon would find his true mate.
The one destined for him.
And when that day came…
Jacob would be nothing.
Forgotten.
Left behind like he had never mattered at all.
The mere thought of it sent a sharp ache through his chest, far worse than any physical pain he carried.
Because despite everything…
He had grown used to Damon's presence.
To the way Damon looked at him.
To the way Damon held him.
And the idea that one day, all of that would disappear—
It shattered something deep inside him.
"Jacob."
The sudden sound of his name made him flinch.
His head snapped slightly toward the door, his senses on edge.
Lately, his hearing had become sharper than usual. Every sound felt amplified, every movement more noticeable.
Before he could react further, the bathroom door opened.
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
Jacob's entire body stiffened, even as he remained submerged in the water.
"Kulas said you've been in here for hours," Damon's voice came from behind him—cold, controlled, and dangerously calm. "Do you want to get sick?"
Jacob swallowed hard, his fingers tightening beneath the water.
"I'm asking you, Jacob."
That tone.
That warning.
The same tone that made fear crawl up his spine.
He didn't want to answer.
Didn't want to speak.
But he knew better than to stay silent. "I… I didn't notice the time," he said softly, his voice barely above a whisper.
A lie.
Of course he knew.
He had been counting the hours—desperately clinging to the cold water, trying to erase every trace of Damon's touch that still lingered on his skin.
"Get up."
Just two words.
Simple.
But enough to force Jacob's body to move.
Despite the pain, he slowly rose from the bathtub, his movements stiff and unsteady. Water dripped from his bare skin as he turned slightly away, shame creeping over him.
Even without looking, he could feel Damon's gaze on him.
Heavy.
Unyielding.
It made his skin burn.
A low sound escaped Damon, drawing Jacob's attention.
"I'm still in pain… Alpha," Jacob murmured, trying to cover himself instinctively, though there was nothing to shield him from those eyes.
Damon didn't respond.
Instead, Jacob suddenly felt weightless.
A startled gasp left his lips as Damon lifted him effortlessly from the tub, carrying him as though he weighed nothing at all.
The moment his feet touched the cold floor, pain shot through him violently, causing his knees to buckle.
But Damon was already there. His hand caught Jacob's arm, steadying him before he could fall.
"Have you taken your medicine?" Damon asked.
Jacob hesitated.
There was something unfamiliar in his tone.
Concern.
"Y-Yes… earlier," Jacob answered. "Beta Kulas helped me."
A brief pause.
"Alright," Damon said. "I'll apply medicine to your bruises."
Jacob's hands clenched at his sides. For a fleeting second, anger flickered within him.
Now he wanted to care? Now he wanted to act as if he hadn't been the one who caused all of this?
The words burned at the tip of his tongue.
But he swallowed them.
Because he didn't have the courage to say them out loud.
"Th-that's not necessary," Jacob said quickly. "I can do it myself—"
He didn't get to finish.
Before he knew it, Damon had lifted him again—this time carrying him out of the bathroom.
Jacob instinctively clutched at Damon's shirt, his face flushing deeply as he pressed himself closer, trying to hide.
He had nothing on.
The embarrassment alone made his heart race.
By the time they reached the bed, Damon set him down carefully.
Jacob immediately grabbed the thick blanket nearby and wrapped it tightly around his body, as if it were armor.
Damon raised an eyebrow, watching him.
As if silently saying—
There was no point in hiding.
He had already seen everything.
Touched everything.
Jacob's breath caught.
Memories from the previous night crept back into his mind, uninvited and vivid.
The sensation.
The closeness.
The intensity.
His stomach twisted strangely.
And before he could stop himself—
His body reacted.
Jacob's grip on the blanket tightened as heat spread through him, his face turning bright red.
He froze.
No.
Not now.
Not after everything.
But his body betrayed him.
Again.
A shaky breath left his lips as he tried to steady himself, his heart pounding loudly in his chest.
He couldn't believe it.
He was reacting… to those memories.
"Are you alright?"
Damon's voice pulled him back.
Jacob couldn't answer.
He kept his head lowered, hiding his face, hiding the truth reflected in his eyes.
But Damon wasn't someone easily fooled.
A hand reached out, gripping Jacob's chin and forcing him to look up.
"You look like a tomato," Damon said, a faint smirk forming on his lips.
Jacob quickly turned his face away again.
"A-Alpha… could you please leave first?" he asked nervously. "I can take care of myself—"
"And who are you to command me?"
The coldness in Damon's voice sent a chill down his spine.
Jacob's heartbeat quickened.
He had said the wrong thing.
"J-just… please—"
His words were cut off as Damon suddenly pushed him back onto the bed.
Jacob's eyes widened in shock.
Before he could react, Damon was already above him, his presence overwhelming, his weight pinning Jacob in place.
The blanket was the only barrier left between them.
Jacob held onto it tightly, his breath uneven as he stared into Damon's dark eyes.
For a moment, Damon simply looked at him.
Studied him.
Then his gaze slowly trailed downward.
Taking everything in.
When his eyes returned to Jacob's face, that familiar, dangerous smirk had already formed on his lips.
"You're hard," Damon said quietly.
Jacob's breath hitched.
"Naughty boy."
And in that moment—
Jacob realized something terrifying.
No matter how much he tried to resist…
No matter how much he wanted to run…
He was already trapped.
Not just by Damon.
But by his own heart.