Chapter 25 The Heart Chains

• Noah stood in front of the window, watching as the rain continued to pour outside, its rhythmic tapping on the glass doing little to soothe the storm within him. His heart was a battlefield, torn between the longing for freedom and the undeniable pull Elias had over him. It was maddening, the way Elias seemed to possess every part of him, controlling his thoughts, his emotions, even his body. He couldn’t escape it, couldn’t shake the feeling that he was already too deep to find a way out.
• He thought about the moments they shared, the heated exchanges, the cruel words that sometimes felt like a twisted form of affection. And yet, in the midst of it all, there were moments when Elias’s touch was gentle, when his gaze softened just for a fraction of a second. It was a constant push and pull, like being caught in a storm with no way to find shelter.
• Noah wanted to hate Elias. He wanted to break free from his control and never look back. But every time Elias looked at him, it was as though he could see through Noah, as if the man knew all his weaknesses, all his hidden desires. It was as if Elias was slowly chipping away at the walls Noah had built around himself.
• The door creaked open behind him, and Noah’s heart skipped a beat. He didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. He could feel Elias’s presence, that weight that seemed to press on everything in the room. The silence that followed was heavy, suffocating.
• “You’ve been avoiding me,” Elias’s voice broke through the tension, low and dangerous, but there was a trace of something else in it—something softer, almost vulnerable.
• Noah kept his back to Elias, not trusting himself to speak. His mind was a mess, and he didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know how to navigate this anymore, how to face Elias without feeling like he was losing himself.
• “I’m not avoiding you,” Noah finally said, his voice hoarse from the emotions he was trying to suppress. “I just… I need space.”
• Elias didn’t answer immediately. Instead, Noah heard the sound of footsteps as Elias moved closer, his presence almost overwhelming. Noah’s breath hitched as Elias stopped just behind him. He could feel the heat radiating off Elias’s body, a constant reminder of the power the man wielded over him.
• “You think space will make this go away?” Elias asked, his voice barely above a whisper. “You think I’ll let you push me away so easily?”
• Noah tensed, the familiar sense of being trapped creeping up on him. He wanted to tell Elias to leave, wanted to scream at him to get out of his head, but the words wouldn’t come. Elias was always there, always in the background, like a shadow that he couldn’t shake. It was maddening.
• “I’m not yours to control,” Noah finally said, his voice trembling with a mixture of anger and frustration. “I don’t belong to you.”
• Elias chuckled, the sound low and mocking, as if Noah’s words amused him. “You say that, but deep down, you know it’s not true. You’ve always belonged to me, Noah.”
• Noah’s pulse quickened, his heart hammering in his chest. He spun around to face Elias, his eyes flashing with defiance. “Stop saying that! I’m not some object you can possess.”
• Elias’s gaze softened, but there was still that underlying intensity in his eyes. “You’re not an object, Noah. But you are mine. And whether you like it or not, that’s the truth.”
• Noah took a step back, his breath coming faster now. He could feel the walls around him crumbling, his control slipping. Every word Elias spoke seemed to find its mark, digging into the core of Noah’s being. It was like Elias knew all the things Noah was too afraid to admit, knew how to unravel him piece by piece.
• “I’m not like you,” Noah whispered, his voice barely audible. “I don’t want this. I don’t want to be tied to you.”
• Elias reached out, his hand gently cupping Noah’s cheek, forcing their gazes to meet. There was a tenderness in his touch that contrasted with the intensity in his eyes. “You don’t have to want it, Noah,” he said softly. “I’ve never asked you to want it. But I’ve never needed your permission.”
• The words hit Noah like a punch to the gut. It was the truth, the cruel reality he had been trying to deny. Elias didn’t need his consent. He never had. Elias had taken control the moment they met, slowly breaking down Noah’s defenses until there was nothing left but the raw desire that Noah had tried to bury deep inside.
• Noah closed his eyes, trying to steady his breath, but it was no use. Elias had him exactly where he wanted him, and Noah could feel the darkness closing in around him. The fear of being consumed by it, of being lost in Elias’s control, gnawed at him. He didn’t want to lose himself, but every time Elias touched him, every time he spoke those words, Noah felt himself slipping further away from who he was.
• “I’m not your toy,” Noah said, though his voice lacked the strength it had once had. He had lost so much of himself already, and he wasn’t sure how much more he could give before he broke completely.
• Elias’s thumb gently brushed against Noah’s bottom lip, his touch almost affectionate. “No, you’re not a toy,” Elias said softly. “But you’re mine in ways you can’t even understand yet.”
• Noah trembled under his touch, the war between wanting to break free and the undeniable pull toward Elias raging inside him. He wanted to fight, wanted to scream, but all he could do was stand there, frozen by the intensity of the moment.
• “I can’t keep doing this,” Noah whispered, his voice breaking. “I can’t keep letting you control me.”
• Elias leaned in, his breath hot against Noah’s ear. “You say that now,” he murmured. “But deep down, you know you don’t want to be free. You want to belong to me, just like I want you.”
• Noah flinched, the truth in Elias’s words cutting deep. He hated how right Elias was, hated that he could never escape the pull of the man who had trapped him in this twisted game. The chains were already there, buried deep inside, and no matter how hard he fought, he couldn’t break free.
• Elias pulled back just enough to look Noah in the eyes, his expression unreadable. “I’ll be here when you’re ready to accept it,” he said quietly, his voice carrying a finality that left Noah no room to argue.
• And with that, Elias turned and walked away, leaving Noah standing there, his heart torn between the desire to escape and the undeniable truth that he had already fallen too far.
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