Chapter 20 The Breaking Point

• Noah couldn’t remember the last time he had felt like himself. He had spent so long in Elias’s world, drowning in its darkness, that he no longer knew where he ended and Elias began. Every moment with him was a whirlwind—intense, overwhelming, and unpredictable. But today, it felt different. There was an unfamiliar tension in the air, a heaviness that weighed on Noah’s chest as he sat in the sleek, modern living room of Elias’s penthouse.
• He had spent the last few hours alone, pacing, trying to find some clarity in the mess his life had become. The fear that had always lingered in the back of his mind had turned into something more—something worse. He was beginning to feel like a puppet on a string, his every move dictated by Elias, his every thought twisted into something he couldn’t control.
• The door creaked open, and Noah’s breath caught in his throat. Elias stepped inside, his presence filling the room like a storm. He looked different today—colder, more calculating. His eyes were dark, almost unreadable, and the usual confidence in his step had been replaced with something sharper, more dangerous.
• Noah instinctively stiffened, his heart racing. Elias was in one of his moods again. He could feel it. The air around them crackled with an unspoken tension, a warning that things were about to change.
• “Sit,” Elias commanded, his voice smooth but firm.
• Noah didn’t hesitate. He lowered himself into the chair, his body tense as Elias crossed the room toward him. It was hard to ignore the way Elias moved—there was a dangerous elegance in his every step, a power in the way he carried himself that left no room for doubt. Elias was a man who took what he wanted, and right now, he wanted Noah.
• Elias stopped in front of him, looking down at Noah with an unreadable expression. “I’ve been thinking,” he began, his tone casual, almost too calm. “You’ve been... difficult.”
• Noah’s heart skipped a beat at the words. Difficult? He wasn’t sure what that meant, but he had a sinking feeling he wouldn’t like it. He opened his mouth to speak, but Elias held up a hand, silencing him.
• “You’re mine, Noah,” Elias continued, his voice dropping low, the weight of his words heavy in the space between them. “And I’ve been patient. But I’m done waiting. I need you to understand that fully.”
• Noah’s chest tightened, and for the first time in a while, the fear he had been pushing away came rushing back. He didn’t know how to respond, didn’t know how to handle the raw intensity in Elias’s words. There was no room for negotiation in Elias’s world.
• Elias’s hand shot out, gripping Noah’s chin and tilting his head back so that they were eye to eye. The contact was sharp, almost punishing, and Noah flinched at the force behind it.
• “You don’t get to question me,” Elias said, his voice a low growl. “Not anymore. You’re mine, and you will learn to accept that.”
• A surge of defiance rose within Noah. His mind screamed for him to fight back, to stand up for himself, but his body betrayed him. He could feel the heat from Elias’s hand seeping into his skin, the pressure of his grip making his heart race. He didn’t want to give in, didn’t want to let Elias break him even more, but deep down, Noah knew it was already too late.
• “I’ve never asked for this,” Noah whispered, his voice shaky. “I didn’t ask for you, for any of this. But it feels like... it feels like I don’t have a choice anymore.”
• Elias’s expression didn’t change. He stared at Noah with cold eyes, as if he were considering the words carefully. Then, without warning, he let go of Noah’s chin, stepping back with a dark smile on his lips.
• “You’re right,” Elias said, his voice silky smooth. “You didn’t ask for it. But I’m giving it to you anyway.”
• Noah’s head spun with the weight of Elias’s words. He could feel the tension in the room growing, the pressure mounting with every passing second. His body trembled, the fear and the desire swirling together in a dizzying cocktail that left him breathless.
• Elias moved closer again, his presence overpowering, the air thick with the magnetic pull between them. He reached out, his fingers brushing against Noah’s cheek in a slow, deliberate movement.
• “You’re not the one in control here,” Elias murmured, his voice low and possessive. “And I don’t want you to be. I want you to need me, to crave me. I want you to understand that there is no escaping me. You’re mine now, Noah. And you’ll never be free again.”
• A wave of shame washed over Noah, but it was quickly replaced by something far darker. Elias’s words, his touch, everything about him felt so overwhelming, so consuming, that Noah couldn’t help but feel drawn in. Even now, as Elias’s hand moved down to rest on Noah’s throat, a strange sense of pleasure washed over him.
• “I’m not letting you go,” Elias whispered, his breath hot against Noah’s ear. “And I’ll make sure you never forget that.”
• Noah couldn’t breathe. The grip around his throat tightened slightly, not enough to hurt, but enough to make him feel helpless. His pulse throbbed in his ears, and for a moment, he wondered if he would pass out from the intensity of it all.
• But there was something else there, too. Beneath the fear, beneath the anger, there was a spark of desire, a raw, burning need that made Noah’s chest ache. It scared him. But it was also impossible to ignore.
• Elias’s lips found his in a kiss that was both tender and forceful, an overwhelming combination that left Noah dizzy. The kiss was a claim, a mark that told Noah there was no turning back. And for the first time, he realized that he didn’t want to.
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