Chapter 5 : A Trap with No Escape

Celeste couldn't sleep that night. Alistair's words kept echoing in her head, tightening around her thoughts like an ever-constricting vice.

"If I have to get you pregnant to make sure you can't leave… then I will."

Her hands trembled beneath the blanket. She couldn't let that happen. She couldn't let this man control her life any more than he already had.

She had to escape.

Carefully, she rose from the bed, ensuring that each movement was as silent as possible. Her heart pounded wildly as she stepped toward the door. She didn't know if this would work, but she had to try.

Her fingers grasped the doorknob, turning it slowly. Her pulse thundered in her ears as the door began to creak open…

But in that very moment, a large hand clamped around her wrist.

Celeste's breath hitched.

"Where do you think you're going, Celeste?"

The voice was chillingly close behind her, sending shivers down her spine. Before she could react, she was yanked backward, her back colliding against Alistair's solid chest.

"Trying to run?" he murmured against her ear, his voice like silk laced with steel. "Darling, did you really think I wouldn't watch your every move?"

Before she could answer, Alistair spun her around, forcing her to face him. His eyes glowed with something cold and suffocatingly possessive.

"I've been patient enough with you, Celeste."

His large hand lifted to her chin, tilting her face so she couldn't look away.

"You don't understand, do you?" His voice was low, dangerous. "You will never escape me. No matter how hard you try."

Celeste tried to yank her wrist free, but Alistair only tightened his grip, pulling her even closer into his hold.

"What must I do to make you stop resisting, hm?" he murmured, his voice a dark whisper that sent ice through her veins. "Should I prove to you that there's no place safer for you than right here, by my side?"

His gaze bore into her, making it impossible to breathe. She knew this man would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.

And this time, Celeste truly felt like a bird trapped in a gilded cage—one that would never take flight again.

Celeste's heart pounded wildly, nearly bursting inside her chest. Alistair's gaze was dark, sharp, and filled with an undeniable authority.

"Let me go, Alistair," Celeste's voice trembled, struggling to hold back the fear that was beginning to consume her.

Alistair looked at her as if her words were incomprehensible. "Let you go?" He leaned in closer, his warm breath brushing against her cheek. "Darling, you don't understand your position, do you?"

He pulled her even closer until their bodies were almost pressed together. "You belong to me. Do you really think I'd let you go after everything I've done?"

Celeste tried to resist, but Alistair tightened his grip around her wrist, pushing her back until her spine met the cold wooden door.

"There's no escape, Celeste." His voice was soft, yet laced with a deadly promise. "The sooner you accept that, the better it will be for you."

Celeste swallowed hard. She had to think fast. If she didn't, this man would truly…

"Don't even think about fighting back, Celeste," Alistair whispered, his hand now tracing her jawline, his rough fingers skimming her delicate features. "I can make you submit in ways that are… pleasurable or painful."

Celeste's eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare…"

Alistair smirked. "Darling, you still don't know me well enough, do you?"

In an instant, he lifted her off the ground, carrying her effortlessly before throwing her onto the bed. Celeste's breath hitched. She tried to get up, but Alistair was already above her, caging her in with his towering presence.

"Listen carefully," he murmured, his fingers tracing her cheek, gliding down her neck before stopping at her collarbone. "I can make you beg for me. I can turn your fear into something wilder, deeper, more… inevitable."

He brought his lips dangerously close to her ear, his whisper sending chills down her spine. "And if you keep resisting, then I won't have any other choice, will I?"

Celeste clenched the sheets beneath her, her body going rigid.

"You can't do this, Alistair."

"I can do whatever I want." His eyes burned with a possessive obsession. "And I will make sure you never escape me again."

At that moment, Celeste knew—she had fallen into a trap with no way out.

Celeste stared at Alistair, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, not just from fear but from the unbearable tension hanging in the air. The man remained unmoving, his gaze sharp—like a predator watching its prey, fully confident in its impending victory.

"Look at yourself now, Celeste," he murmured in a low, suffocating voice. "Your body is tense, your hands are trembling… do you know why?"

Celeste swallowed hard, trying to turn away, but Alistair caught her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze.

"Because you know that no matter how hard you fight, I will always win."

His hand slid to her wrist, pinning it firmly above the bed.

"You think you can escape me, but the more you resist, the more I want to prove something to you."

Celeste bit her lip, her mind racing for a way out. She knew Alistair was dangerous, knew he never made empty threats.

"Don't even think about running again," Alistair warned, his voice laced with a deadly promise. "If you try one more time…" He leaned in, whispering against her ear, "I will keep you so busy you won't even have time to think about leaving me."

Celeste bit down harder on her lip, trying to suppress the trembling in her body.

"I'm not afraid of you," she whispered, though her voice betrayed her weakness.

Alistair smirked, his eyes darkening with something dangerous. "Oh, darling… you should be."

With a sudden movement, he pulled Celeste closer, eliminating the space between them. She tried to recoil, but his grip was too strong.

"Do you want to know something?" he murmured. "The more you try to run, the more I will ensure you are bound to me… permanently."

Celeste tried to yank her wrist free, but Alistair only tightened his hold, applying just enough pressure to make it clear that he had no intention of letting go.

"From now on," he continued, his voice eerily calm yet threatening, "you will learn that I never let go of what belongs to me."

Celeste held her breath, the painful truth settling in—she was truly trapped.