Chapter 36: The Unyielding Storm

The room was suffocating, thick with the weight of Caden's fury. His breath came in ragged bursts, chest heaving with a fire that didn't cool, a storm unleashed. Amara's words echoed in his mind beast, not human and they fanned the flames of his rage like dry kindling catching fire.

His hands gripped her again, this time with no hesitation, no restraint, as if trying to bury every insult deep inside her skin. He pulled her close, his voice cracking with fury as he shouted, "Beast, huh? You think I'm a beast? You say I'm not human? Say it again! I want to hear it, Amara! Tell me what you really think!"

Amara's chest tightened, eyes flashing with anger despite the fear gnawing at her insides. "You are a beast, Caden. You don't listen. You don't care. You only care about what you want." Her voice trembled but held defiance, a thin, fragile shield against the raging storm in front of her. Every word was a desperate attempt to assert herself, to carve out a space where she still existed as an individual, not merely an extension of his will. But even as she spoke, the tremor in her voice betrayed the deep-seated terror that threatened to consume her.

He growled low, almost animalistic, the sound vibrating through the room. "You don't listen? You think you're the only one with a voice here?" He slammed his hand against the wall beside her head, the impact making her jump. "I'm screaming too, Amara! Do you hear me?!"

She took a shaky breath, summoning courage. "Then why do you do this? Why do you keep hurting me?"

His eyes flashed with something brutal. "Because you push me. You dare to call me a beast and then ask why I hurt you? That's your fault!" His voice rose, each word cutting like a whip. "You want to fight fire with fire? Fine. But don't come crying when you get burned!"

Without waiting for a response, Caden pulled her into a harsh, demanding kiss that left no room for protest. It was a violation, not an embrace, a brutal assertion of dominance that stole her breath and her autonomy. His lips were bruising, his tongue invading, a forceful claim that silenced her protests more effectively than any hand over her mouth. His hands roamed with a fierce urgency, gripping, claiming, tearing at the fragile fabric of her nightdress as if to strip away not just her clothes but her defenses too. Each rip of the material was a tear in her sense of self, a shredding of the boundaries she desperately tried to maintain.

Amara's hands clawed at his chest, desperate to push him away, but his weight pinned her down. "Stop! Caden, please!" she gasped, but he ignored her, repeating her own words back at her, taunting with a cruel edge. "You think I don't care? You think I'm just a beast? You're wrong, Amara. I'm everything you need, whether you want it or not."

Her breath hitched, eyes wide with disbelief. "You don't know what I want! You never listen!"

He snarled, voice rough and unyielding. "You shut up!" The words exploded out of him like a grenade. "I'm tired of your mouth running off! You think this is a game? You think I'm some joke?"

Amara fought back fiercely, voice rising despite the pounding in her head. "I'm not afraid of you! You don't own me!" But even as she spat the words, the heat of his body against hers, the weight of his grip, and the storm in his eyes made her doubt.

Caden's hand shot up, silencing her with a sharp, firm press against her mouth. "No more words. You're going to learn, Amara." His voice was low, dark, threatening. "This is how it's going to be. I do what I want, and you" He released her lips just enough to hiss, "You obey."

Tears stung her eyes, but she swallowed the lump in her throat. She tried to protest again, but the rage in his eyes warned her that no argument would sway him now. So instead, she closed her mouth, biting her lip until it bled, and let him take control.

Time blurred into a relentless rhythm of fury and desire, a horrifying dance where she was merely a puppet, and he, the puppet master. Caden didn't pause, didn't give her a single moment to catch her breath or find her voice. Each kiss, each touch was sharp and urgent, rough and claiming, like the storm inside him was raging out through every nerve ending, consuming everything in its path. There was no tenderness, no warmth, only a raw, unbridled force that sought to conquer.

Amara's body screamed with conflicting emotions, fear, anger, confusion, and a strange, reluctant yearning. She fought with every ounce of strength she had, pushing against his hands, her nails digging into his skin, but it was no use. His grip was unbreakable.

"Why won't you fight me?" Caden growled between harsh kisses, breath hot on her ear. "You think you can just say what you want and walk away? Not with me."

"I'm not your enemy," she whispered, voice cracking.

"No? Then why do you make me feel like one every damn day?" His voice was ragged, laced with pain beneath the anger.

She didn't have an answer. Instead, she let silence fall, thick and suffocating.

Hours seemed to pass in a blur of harsh touches and whispered threats. He shouted, repeating her words back at her like weapons, twisting them until they cut deeper, each accusation a fresh wound. "You're a beast." "You don't care." "You don't listen." Each phrase punctuated with a rough kiss or a tight grip that reminded her who was in control, who held the power in this terrifying game. His taunts were designed to chip away at her resolve, to break her spirit piece by agonizing piece.

Her fight began to ebb, her spirit bruised but not broken. She realized that no matter how loudly she protested, no matter how fiercely she pushed, it wouldn't change him; or the storm he carried inside.

So she shut her mouth.

Her silence was a quiet surrender, a shield against the fury that could burn her alive.

Caden's breathing slowed, the fire in his eyes dimming just enough to see the broken woman beneath the anger. For a moment, something fragile flickered in his gaze—a shadow of regret, or maybe a buried tenderness.

But then his lips curved into a hard, victorious smile.

"You see, Amara?" His voice was low, triumphant. "I own you. And you know it now."

She swallowed hard, tears slipping down her cheeks as the weight of his dominance pressed down on her like a physical force.

And in that silence, amidst the storm, she understood: this battle was far from over.

….

As Caden finally pulled back, a heavy silence settled in the room, thick with the aftermath of their confrontation. Amara lay still, every muscle aching, every nerve raw. She didn't open her eyes, not wanting to see the triumphant glint she knew would be in his. The air was cold on her exposed skin where her nightdress had been torn, and a shiver ran through her, unrelated to the temperature.

"Are you done?" Her voice was a fragile whisper, barely audible, laced with a weariness that went bone deep. She didn't expect an answer, but the question hung in the air between them, a ghost of her former defiance.

Caden shifted, his weight easing slightly, though he still loomed over her. "Done? Amara, we're just getting started." His voice was calmer now, the animalistic growl replaced by a chillingly composed tone that was somehow more menacing. "You think a few tears and a silent act of defiance changes anything? It just proves my point."

She finally opened her eyes, meeting his gaze. They were still wide, reflecting a deep, primal fear, but beneath it, a cold, hard resolve was beginning to crystallize. "Your point?" she echoed, her voice gaining a fraction of its strength. "That you're a bully? That you take what you want without a shred of decency or respect?"

He chuckled, a low, unsettling sound. "Decency? Respect? Those are luxuries, Amara. You keep pushing me, and you'll find out what real necessities are. Control. Obedience. Safety. I can give you all of those, if you just stop fighting me." He reached out, his finger tracing the line of her jaw, a touch that felt more like a brand than a caress. "Why do you make this so hard?"

"Because I'm a person, Caden, not a thing to be owned!" Her voice cracked on the last word, but the conviction behind it was undeniable. "You talk about screaming, about pain. Don't you think I'm screaming? Don't you think I'm in pain? Every time you do this, you shatter something inside me."

His expression darkened again, the brief flicker of something softer vanishing. "You think you're the only one who feels pain? You think your words don't cut? You call me a beast, you reject me, you fight me at every turn. What do you expect me to do, Amara? Just stand here and let you walk all over me?" He paused, his eyes narrowing. "This isn't about owning you. This is about us. About you finally seeing what we could be if you just stopped fighting me. Stop fighting this." His gaze dropped to her body, then back to her eyes, intense and possessive.

"This isn't 'us', Caden," she whispered, her gaze unwavering, even as her heart hammered against her ribs. "This is you, breaking me. And I won't let you." It was a bold declaration, considering her current vulnerability, but it was the only truth she had left.

He laughed again, a harsh, humorless sound. "You won't let me? You have no choice, Amara. You're here. You're mine. And you'll learn to accept it." He leaned in, his mouth close to her ear, his breath warm against her skin. "Or we can do this again, and again, until you do."

A fresh wave of terror washed over her, but it was quickly followed by a cold, searing anger. She would not break. She would not.