The neon glow of the city flickered against the rain-slicked pavement, casting long shadows through the alleyways. The streets pulsed with life—honking cars, drunken laughter, the hum of danger lurking beneath the surface.

Selene Myles tightened the hood around her face, her fingers cold against the smooth edges of her stolen phone. She had thirty seconds before they found her.

Her heart pounded as she swiped through the encrypted files she had stolen. Names. Transactions. Bloodstained secrets.

She had uncovered something she wasn’t supposed to see. And now, the most powerful man in the underworld was coming for her.

Ares Valtor.

His name was whispered in fear—the man who built an empire on blood and destruction. He ruled the underground with an iron fist, showing mercy to no one.

And she had just made the biggest mistake of her life.

Her breath came out in quick, shallow gasps as she darted through the crowded nightclub, pushing past sweaty bodies and flashing lights. She had planned her escape route perfectly—until she felt it.

A presence.

Dark. Heavy. Suffocating.

She didn’t need to turn around to know.

He was here.

Her pulse skyrocketed as she took off, weaving through the chaos, but it was too late.

A hand wrapped around her wrist, tight and unyielding. A force so strong it nearly yanked her off her feet.

She **whirled around—**and her world stopped.

Ares Valtor stood before her.

Towering. Dangerous. Predatory.

His black shirt clung to his sculpted body, veins prominent on his forearms from how tightly he gripped her. Midnight-dark eyes locked onto her, burning with something between rage and amusement. His presence was suffocating—like a storm rolling in, ready to destroy everything in its path.

Selene’s breath hitched as she stared into the eyes of the devil himself.

"Run again," he murmured, voice low, velvety, and dangerous. "And I’ll break you."

She yanked against his grip, but it was like fighting against steel.

"Let me go." Her voice was steady, but inside, her pulse was a thunderous roar.

Ares tilted his head, watching her like a predator that had cornered its prey.

"Why would I let you go," he said, his grip tightening, "when you belong to me now?"

Selene froze.

The words sent a sharp chill down her spine.

No. No, no, no.

She had prepared for this moment. She had a knife strapped to her thigh, a gun tucked against her back—but nothing could prepare her for him.

For the way his voice wrapped around her like silk and chains. For the way his dark, unreadable eyes saw right through her.

"I don’t belong to anyone," she spat.

Ares let out a quiet chuckle. Dark. Amused. Completely merciless.

"That’s where you’re wrong, little hacker."

His free hand came up, trailing a single finger down the side of her neck, slow, deliberate—a promise.

Selene’s breath hitched, and for the first time, she saw it.

The way he was looking at her.

Not just as an enemy. Not just as a threat.

But as something he wanted.

And Ares Valtor always took what he wanted.

"You stole from me, Selene. And now? I think I’ll steal you instead."

Her stomach twisted. This wasn’t just a hunt anymore. This was obsession.

And she was already caught.

---

TBC

Selene's pulse **slammed** against her ribs as Ares's words echoed in her mind.

**"You stole from me, Selene. And now? I think I'll steal you instead."**

The weight of his grip burned against her wrist as he **dragged her out of the club**, his movements firm, unyielding.

She thrashed, shoving at his chest. "Let me go!"

Ares didn't even flinch. His pace was **calm**, his strength effortless, as if she was nothing more than a **misbehaving pet** he was taking home.

The bouncers at the entrance saw her struggling - **they did nothing.**

The people on the street saw her kicking - **they looked away.**

Because everyone knew who Ares Valtor was.

And no one, **no one**, dared to interfere with his business.

Selene's stomach twisted as he **shoved her into the backseat** of a sleek, black car. The scent of leather and something distinctly **him** wrapped around her, suffocating. Before she could scramble for the door, **he was already inside, beside her, closing the distance.**

**Click.**

The automatic locks **sealed her fate.**

She was **trapped**.

Her breathing turned shallow as she pressed herself against the seat, her mind racing for an escape.

Ares simply leaned back, adjusting the **black leather gloves** on his hands, as if **kidnapping her was just another routine task.**

His gaze slid over her, slow and assessing. "You're going to stop fighting now".

Selene let out a sharp, humorless laugh. "Go to hell."

Ares smirked. "You first."

Before she could retort, the car took off, cutting through the city like a silent predator.

Her fingers curled into fists, nails biting into her palm. "Where are you taking me?"

Ares stretched his arm along the back of the seat, his fingers barely grazing her shoulder. **A deliberate move. A warning. A claim.**

"Home."

A chill raced down her spine.

**His home.**

---

30 Minutes Later at "The Mansion"

The car pulled up to a towering estate, **cold and monstrous**, standing against the night like a fortress.

Armed guards lined the entrance. Security cameras **tracked their every move**.

The second she stepped inside, she knew - **this wasn't just a home.**

It was a **cage.**

Ares stepped out first, offering his hand.

She slapped it away.

His smirk deepened, **eyes flashing with something dangerous**.

"Have it your way, kitten."

And then - **he grabbed her, lifting her effortlessly over his shoulder.**

"Put me down!" she shrieked, pounding at his back, but he didn't even **budge**.

The guards watched with **knowing smirks**, as if they'd seen this before - Ares bringing home another **prize**.

**The thought made her sick.**

Inside, the mansion was as cold as its owner. **Dark marble floors. High ceilings. A scent of leather and expensive whiskey.**

The doors **shut behind her**, locking out the outside world.

**No escape. No way out.**

Ares **didn't stop walking** until they reached a room at the very end of the hall.

Her new **prison.**

He kicked the door open and tossed her inside **like she weighed nothing.**

She landed on the plush mattress, scrambling up just as the **door slammed shut behind him.**

Click.

The lock.

Her breathing turned ragged as she turned to face him.

Ares leaned against the door, arms crossed, **watching her like a wolf watches a lamb**.

"You think you can keep me here?" she spat.

Ares's gaze **darkened**, the air **thickening with something dangerous**.

"Selene" he murmured, voice like velvet and **iron chains**. "don't think. I know."

She swallowed hard.

His smirk deepened, slow and **lethal**.

"Try to run, and I'll break your legs."

Her stomach dropped.

Not an empty threat.

He stepped closer. **Slow. Unhurried. Deadly.**

"You stole from me, Selene." His fingers trailed the edge of her jaw, **a mockery of a lover's touch**.

"You took something that belongs to me."

His fingers slid to her chin, tilting it up.

"And now... **you belong to me.**"

Selene's blood turned ice-cold.

Because the way he said it - **soft, possessive, final** - told her one thing.

**This man would never let her go.**

**Never - Ever.**

Selene’s breaths came shallow, her pulse hammering against her ribs as she pressed herself against the plush mattress. The walls around her seemed to close in, trapping her in this luxurious yet suffocating cage.

Across the room, Ares leaned against the locked door, watching her with an unreadable expression.

His presence was overwhelming, like a storm poised to strike.

“You look like a rabbit caught in a trap,” he murmured, amusement flickering in his dark eyes.

Selene’s nails dug into the sheets. “Maybe because I am.”

Ares’s smirk was slow, wicked. “Oh no, kitten. Traps are meant to kill. You? I intend to keep.”

The finality in his voice sent a chill down her spine.

“You’re insane,” she whispered.

Ares pushed off the door, his movements unhurried yet deliberate. “And you,” he said, tilting his head, “are in no position to judge me.”

She scrambled back as he approached, but there was nowhere to go. The bed. The walls. The man who had just stolen her from the world.

His knee pressed onto the mattress, closing the distance. Caging her in.

Selene’s heart pounded as she lifted her chin. “What do you even want from me?”

Ares reached out, brushing a gloved finger along her jaw. The touch was deceptively gentle, but the weight of his dominance coiled around her like chains.

“I want what’s mine.”

Her breath hitched. “I don’t belong to you.”

Ares chuckled, dark and low, his eyes flashing with something dangerous.

“You stole from me, Selene.” He leaned closer, his scent—a mix of leather, smoke, and something purely him—invading her senses. “And I don’t take betrayal lightly.”

“I didn’t—”

Ares caught her chin between his fingers, tilting her face up. His grip was firm but not painful. A warning. A claim.

“You think I don’t know a liar when I see one?” His voice was silk wrapped around steel. Deadly. Intoxicating.

Selene swallowed hard, forcing herself to glare at him. She wouldn’t break.

But Ares saw everything.

His lips curled. “Your body tells me the truth, kitten.” His thumb traced the edge of her lower lip. “You’re terrified.”

Selene jerked her face away. “Because you kidnapped me, you psycho!”

Ares chuckled again, as if she had just told a joke. “And yet, here we are.”

He stood, stepping back just enough to let her breathe—but not enough to let her forget who held the power here.

Selene’s hands fisted the sheets. She needed to stay calm. Think. Find a way out.

Ares straightened his black gloves, his gaze never leaving her. “You’ll stay in this room until you learn your place.”

Her eyes narrowed. “And if I don’t?”

Ares’s smirk was pure sin. “Then I’ll enjoy breaking you.”

The threat sent a shiver down her spine, but she refused to let him see it.

“I’ll never be yours.” Her voice was steady, defiant.

Ares exhaled slowly, almost as if he was savoring her resistance. Then, he leaned down, brushing his lips just near her ear. Not touching. Just close enough to make her tremble.

“We’ll see.”

With that, he turned and strode to the door, unlocking it with a metallic click.

As he stepped out, he looked back one last time, his eyes glinting with possession.

“Sweet dreams, Selene.”

Then—the door shut, locking her in.

And the walls closed in once more.

---

TBC