Alessio didn't move for a long moment.
He just looked at her.
Silver eyes sharp, assessing.
Because this—this was what he had been waiting for.
The moment she stopped fighting.
The moment she accepted what she was.
Who she belonged to.
But just because she had given him the words didn't mean she truly understood.
Not yet.
And he wouldn't make it easy for her.
He wouldn't reward her for finally bending.
No.
He wanted her to break.
Completely.
Irrevocably.
Until there was nothing left of the girl who had tried to run.
Until all that remained was his.
So when he finally spoke, his voice was quiet.
Controlled.
Dangerous.
"You say you belong to me?"
Elena swallowed, her pulse hammering in her throat.
She didn't dare look away.
"Yes."
His fingers ghosted along her jaw, down the line of her throat, tracing the frantic beat of her pulse.
She shivered.
Not from fear.
From him.
Alessio hummed, a slow, dark sound that sent heat curling low in her stomach.
"You say it," he murmured. "But do you feel it?"
Elena's breath hitched.
Because she knew what he was asking.
What he was about to do.
And yet—
She didn't resist.
Not this time.
Because maybe…
Maybe she wanted him to push her.
To prove it to her.
To make sure there was no doubt left.
No way back.
Because once she gave him this—
There would be no more running.
No more pretending.
No more fighting.
Only him.
And she was ready.
Even if she was afraid.
Especially if she was afraid.
Because Alessio didn't believe in kindness.
He believed in ownership.
And now, finally, he was going to show her what that truly meant.