Chapter 92

I was finally heading back home after dealing with Clara’s messy little situation. The burn in the air from her body turning to ash still remained faintly in my nostrils like a sweet reminder of how easily I could dispose of things that no longer served me.
Not that I felt particularly proud about it—after all, the real work wasn’t about killing. The real work was in the planning, the anticipation, the control.
Yet, as I approached the small, pathetic house in the backyard of the packhouse, something felt… off. The wretched house seemed to cower under the weight of the world, and that’s when I felt it.
The air changed and thickened, making it seem like the very atmosphere was aware of something far more dangerous than me. A sudden chill crawled up my spine; the kind that makes you freeze in place, even as your mind tells you to run.
The aura was too gripping, powerful, and completely… dark.
I stepped inside, my boots scraping against the rotting floorboards, only to be greeted by an almost suffocating presence. He was there. I didn’t even need to look for him. His dark and smooth aura like the blackest of velvet, was impossible to miss.
The devil.
He sat there, in my chair, like it was his own throne, radiating an effortless, terrifying calmness. His beauty was the kind that made the world feel small in comparison; a face too perfect with eyes as deep and infinite as the night sky.
His features were well defined, angular—like they were designed to both seduce and kill. And that was exactly what he did, in a way that was far too subtle to catch on until it was too late.
He was dangerous in a way that didn’t require loud explosions or enraged roars. He was quiet, almost eerily so.
His gaze slid to me, and I immediately felt the air tighten like a noose around my throat.
I didn’t think. I just fell to my knees, bowing my head. Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs
“Master,” I whispered, not daring to meet his eyes.
The silence descended upon us and it stretched. His stillness was enough to send every part of my body into alert. Every muscle screamed at me to keep my position, to show the respect I had to.
His gaze, though gentle, held a bombardment.
“You started tonight well, Luis,” the devil’s voice was like honey-coated in poison. “But you ended it badly.”
Oh, no. I had disappointed the devil?
No, no, no, no…
I swallowed hard, my heart beating fast against my ribcage. My thoughts scrambled for the right words.
“I… I apologize, Master, if I have disappointed you,” I said, my voice shaking.
Without warning, he was upon me.
One moment, I was on the floor, head bowed, and the next, my chin was being held with terrifying strength. His hand was cool against my skin, but his grip felt like fire. I gasped, the pressure sharp, and then it was as though my very bones trembled at the command in his touch.
“Don’t disappoint me again,” he pointed out coldly.
His dark eyes narrowed, and before I could think of what to do, or say, his power surged through me—and in a single, brutal motion, he cracked something in my body.
A bone in my wrist shattered with the sharp, unbearable sound ringing in my ears, followed by a scream I couldn’t quite control.
I writhed in agony, my body fighting against the wave of excruciating pain that spread from the broken bone to my entire frame. I gasped for air, but every breath felt like a jagged piece of glass in my lungs.
“Please… Master… Mercy I begged, barely able to speak through the crushing agony.
The devil’s lips curled into a smile—one that didn’t reach his eyes.
“Do you dare question me? Do you dare question my will?”
I could barely get the words out through my clenched teeth. “No… no, Master.”
The smile vanished, and on his face now, was the unnerving calmness he always carried. “Good. Now listen.”
He moved closer, the air around him crackling with dark energy. I could barely focus on his words, the pain still thrumming through me like a wild pulse, but I forced myself to listen.
“You’ve been playing your part, Luis. I gave you a script, and you’ve been following it well. But there’s one thing I cannot have—you messing with María José.”
Huh?
His words sent a shock through me. It was a sharp jolt that knocked the pain back for a moment.
“María José?” I stammered, bewildered. “What significance does she have to you? She’s just a pack girl, nothing more.”
What was it about her? Why did she seem to have captured everyone’s attention? If it wasn’t the entire pack jealous of her uniqueness, it was Axel acting like he wasn’t enthralled by her, or me completely enchanted and ready to do anything for her… or the devil…
His reason, I didn’t know.
The devil’s smile disappeared completely after my last words and something colder and darker burned in his eyes. Without another word, he snapped his fingers.
A sickening, agonizing crack echoed through the room, and before I even had time to brace myself, the devil’s power tore through me, breaking my bones as though they were twigs.
Every bone in my body was fractured, one by one. I howled in pain, my body convulsing as my joints dislocated, my chest tight with the struggle to breathe through the torture.
“You speak of her like she means nothing,” the devil’s voice came through the haze of agony. “But she does mean more than you can ever in a thousand lifetimes. And if you ever, ever, mess with her again, this is what I’ll do to you. I will break you.”
The pain was unbearable, my body shaking uncontrollably as I tried to speak, to apologize, but my tongue wouldn’t obey. It felt as though my very voice had been shattered.
I could barely get the words out, my throat too tight, too raw. “I… I won’t… Master
“You see, Luis,” he said, his voice so calm, it was almost surreal against the backdrop of my agony, “I have a plan. Everything and everyone in it must fall into place. You’ve been playing your part, but I cannot have you distracted by her. I cannot have you enchanted by her. She is not yours to be captivated with. You do not worth a single hair on her body.”