Chapter 80. Restrained Control

Ella’s back was pressed against the cold wall, her heart hammering in her chest. Valen was too close, his presence overwhelming, his eyes burning with something raw and untamed. She swallowed hard, trying to steady her breathing, but it was useless. The air between them felt electric, charged with an intensity she couldn’t escape.

“You can’t just say things like that,” Ella whispered, her voice trembling. She didn’t even recognize her own tone—half-defiant, half-surrendering.

Valen tilted his head, his gaze never leaving hers. “Like what?” he asked, his voice low and rich, a seductive challenge in every syllable.

“‘You’re mine,’” she repeated, her heart racing. The words had affected her more than she wanted to admit, and she hated the way her body betrayed her, responding to his presence like a flame to oxygen.

Valen’s lips quirked into a dangerous smirk. “But you are,” he said simply, leaning closer until his nose brushed hers. “And you know it.”

Ella