Chapter 4 – The Price of Power

The next few days passed in a haze of uncertainty and tension. Jungkook couldn’t shake the feeling that he was standing on the precipice of something vast and dangerous, a chasm that could either swallow him whole or give him the chance to finally escape the cruel world he had been forced to survive in. But escape came at a price—one he wasn’t sure he was ready to pay.

Taehyung had left him in that cell, with only a lingering promise to return. Every night, Jungkook would lie awake, staring at the cold stone ceiling, wondering if he had been left to rot in the dark, forgotten. But then, just as the hours of the night grew long and the world outside seemed to quiet, he would hear the faintest sound—the soft, rhythmic click of boots against stone—and he knew Taehyung was there, somewhere, watching him.

He was never truly alone, not anymore.

Jungkook had to admit, it was difficult to ignore the effect Taehyung had on him. The alpha’s presence was intoxicating, like a drug that burned through his veins, forcing him to question his own resolve. He didn’t want to admit it, but Taehyung’s offer—his words—had planted a seed in his heart, one that began to grow with each passing day.

Taehyung was not like the others. He didn’t treat Jungkook like an object to be controlled, not entirely. There was something deeper, something more dangerous in the way he spoke to him—something that made Jungkook feel like he was standing at the edge of a precipice, looking down into an abyss of both temptation and ruin.

It was on the third night after their first encounter that Taehyung returned.

Jungkook had been pacing the small cell, his mind in turmoil, when the heavy iron door creaked open. Taehyung stepped inside, his presence filling the room with an almost tangible intensity. The alpha was dressed in dark leather, his coat sweeping the floor behind him as he moved closer to the bars that separated them.

Jungkook’s heart thudded loudly in his chest as he stood, his fists clenched at his sides. He had been preparing himself for this moment, for the moment when Taehyung would return, when he would have to face the consequences of his own weakness—the part of him that wanted to be free.

“Jungkook,” Taehyung said, his voice low and commanding. “I see you’ve been thinking.”

“I’ve been thinking about how much I hate this place,” Jungkook shot back, his voice sharp. “And how much I hate you for thinking you can just come in here and offer me a way out, as if I’m some fool who’ll fall for it.”

Taehyung’s lips curled into a faint, almost imperceptible smile. “I never said you were a fool. But you are stubborn.”

Jungkook’s eyes narrowed. “And what does that mean? That you’re going to break me? Try to bend me to your will like all the others?”

“No,” Taehyung replied, stepping closer, his eyes never leaving Jungkook’s. “I’m not here to break you. I’m here to offer you a chance to rise above all of this.”

Jungkook took a step back, his voice harsh. “Why? Why me? There are so many others. You could take anyone, claim anyone, but you chose me. What makes me special?”

Taehyung paused for a moment, his gaze softening ever so slightly. “Because you’re not like the others. You don’t break easily. And that… that makes you interesting. I like challenges.”

Jungkook’s breath caught in his throat. He had heard enough empty promises in his life to know when someone was playing a game. But there was something about Taehyung that made him wonder—was this really a game to him? Or was it something else? Something darker?

“Why do you care if I break?” Jungkook asked, his voice quieter now, more uncertain. “You’re a king. You have everything you could ever want. Why do you need me?”

Taehyung’s eyes flashed with something dangerous, something raw, and for a moment, Jungkook felt a chill run down his spine. But then the moment passed, and Taehyung spoke again, his voice steady, yet laced with an intensity that made Jungkook’s pulse race.

“I don’t need you, Jungkook,” Taehyung said. “But I want you. And I always get what I want.”

The weight of his words hung in the air between them, thick and suffocating. Jungkook swallowed hard, his throat dry. He had been right. Taehyung wasn’t playing games. He wasn’t offering him a choice—he was demanding submission. Taehyung wasn’t just an alpha; he was a conqueror, and Jungkook was just another territory to claim.

But even then, even with the threat hanging over him, Jungkook couldn’t deny the strange pull he felt towards the alpha. Part of him wanted to resist, to push back against Taehyung’s dominance. But another part, a part he had buried deep down, was intrigued by the idea of surrender.

“You don’t have to bow to me,” Taehyung continued, his voice softer now, almost coaxing. “But you will kneel. And when you do, you’ll know that you made the right choice.”

Jungkook shook his head, disbelief clouding his mind. “I don’t want to be another pawn in your game, Taehyung. I’m not some piece to be moved at your whim.”

Taehyung stepped closer, his gaze never leaving Jungkook’s. “Then don’t be. Be the one who stands at my side. The one who rules with me.”

Jungkook’s breath caught in his throat, the offer too tempting, too dangerous to ignore. He wanted to refuse. He wanted to push Taehyung away and tell him he would never kneel to anyone. But the truth was, a part of him had already been ensnared by Taehyung’s promise, by the idea of power, of standing by his side.

“I won’t break,” Jungkook said, his voice firm. “And I won’t kneel to you. Not yet.”

Taehyung’s lips quirked into a small smile, though there was no amusement in it—only the quiet satisfaction of a man who knew the game was already in motion.

“Not yet,” Taehyung agreed, his voice soft but carrying a threat beneath it. “But you will.”

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***