The Fractured Throne

"Wait, Lina, you bitch! What are you doing?!" Seraina's voice cracked like glass as she stood abruptly, her face twisted in disbelief.

Matteo's senses kicked in half a second too late. The warmth of Lina's lips still lingered on his, alien and searing. It wasn't just a kiss. It was a violation of order, of power, of identity. With a startled grunt, he shoved her away.

Lina flew back but didn't hit the floor. Eliane had leapt forward, catching her at the last moment. The professor's hands trembled against Lina's bare shoulders, her grip half hesitant, half instinctive.

Matteo rose from the bed, his breath ragged, his face a twisted mess of rage and confusion. His fingers swiped across his lips, trying to scrub away the feeling, but the heat remained.

"You... you bitch!"

He lunged. Fingers knotted into Lina's hair, he slammed her into the mattress. Her head bounced slightly, but she laughed.

"What have you done?!" he growled.

Lina looked up at him, unflinching. "Nothing. Just fulfilling my wish. Judging by your reaction, I assume that was your first kiss?"

The air in the room thickened. Eliane and Annelise recoiled toward the wall, crawling back with quiet panic. Seraina's expression flickered between fury and embarrassment. Only Noemie stared at Matteo, unblinking, her head tilted like a curious predator.

His face burned. "You bitch." His hand reached back to his belt and unclipped the shock gun.

ZAP.

The sound cracked through the room. Lina's scream echoed a second later. Her back arched, her muscles spasming violently. She bit her lip until it bled.

"How do you like that?!" Matteo sneered.

Lina coughed, a twisted smile curling through the pain. "Ha.... is that the best you can do, crybaby?"

Matteo's eyes narrowed. "What did you say?"

"With our rights in your hands, you could've done so many things. Instead, you're sticking to chief-level punishments. Weak."

Matteo's grip loosened. He stepped back, blinking like a man waking from hypnosis. "You really are messed up."

"Oh, you have no idea. All my friends here..... just a little psycho." Lina sat up, her tone dancing between teasing and deadly serious.

She waved her hand theatrically. "We all had similar dreams, Matteo. About a man who would grab us, tear our clothes, and take what he wanted. But only after he understood us."

Gasps sounded from the others. Faces turned away. Eliane's lips trembled. Annelise covered her face. Seraina turned red, from jaw to ear. Even Noemie finally looked away.

"See that?" Lina gestured at them. "Guess I made them jealous. Don't worry, everyone will get their turn."

Matteo backed away, something unraveling in his core. It wasn't just the kiss. It was how casual she made it all seem, like it was normal.

Lina crawled toward him, catlike. She wrapped her arms around his legs, resting her cheek against his knee.

"If you really wanted, Matteo... you could've done so many shameful things. But you didn't. You helped our families. You helped everyone except us."

He shook his head. "What are you talking about?"

"You slept with the professor, right?" Her voice was honey and venom.

"W-what?!" Eliane choked. "Lina!"

"And now you hesitate with me?" Lina stood up slowly and pulled her top off, revealing her undergarments.

Silence.

Eliane turned her back instantly, her fists clenched. Seraina looked like she might cry. Annelise pulled her knees to her chest. Noemie..... Noemie smiled, amused.

Lina stepped closer to Matteo. "Do you want me, Matteo? Or is your guilt louder than your desire?"

He stumbled back again, hitting the wall this time.

Lina whispered, "You hate me, right? You want control. Then take it."

Matteo didn't move.

Lina's smirk faded into something gentler. "Or maybe..... you're still just the boy we humiliated back in college. The boy we laughed at. The boy who cried."