Chapter 6: WEIGHT OF THE CHAINS

Irwin gasped, her hands flying to his wrist as she struggled to breathe. "Dorian... stop," she whispered, barely able to force the words out.

Dorian's eyes blazed with a fierce, predatory glow as his wolf form continued to take over. Irwin struggled to breathe, her fingers clawing weakly at his arm in a desperate attempt to free herself. 

She could feel the sheer strength in his grip, the power of the beast beneath his human skin."Please," she managed to croak, her voice barely audible. "Let me go."

"Please," Irwin managed to croak, her voice barely audible. "Let me go, Dorian"

Dorian’s eyes burned with fury as he stared at her, but there was something else beneath the anger. As her pleading eyes met his, he felt a strange pull toward her, something he didn’t want to acknowledge. Her desperation stirred something within him, confusing him, but not enough to make him relent. His grip on her, though slightly loosened, still kept her pinned to the wall.

He leaned forward, his face inches from hers. His eyes darted between her wide, fearful gaze and her trembling lips. His anger mixed with something darker, something he couldn’t control. Before he realized what he was doing, Dorian pressed his lips against hers, roughly and hungrily. He kissed her like a man who had lost all reason, his mouth devouring hers, forcing her into a moment she never saw coming.

Irwin whimpered, overwhelmed by the intensity. She didn’t expect this. This raw force. This sudden rush of heat. Her body trembled, her hand instinctively reaching out to touch his bare chest, to find some anchor in the storm of emotions that hit her. 

But Dorian jerked her hand away roughly, like her touch burned him. Reality crashed back into him. What had he done? His mind reeled as he yanked himself away from her, disgusted not just with her, but with himself. He ran a hand through his hair, his breaths coming in shallow, and angry bursts.

Irwin stood frozen, her back still pressed against the wall, her lips tingling from the force of his kiss. What just happened? She looked at him, her mind racing, but no words came out. She was too shocked, too shaken.

"What… what was that?" she whispered, her voice trembling.

Dorian glared at her, his face contorted with rage and confusion. "It was nothing," he snapped. "Don’t read into it."

"Nothing?" Irwin repeated, her voice cracking. "You kissed me! You—"

"It was a mistake!" he cut her off, his voice cold. "I don’t want you, Irwin. You’re nothing to me."

She stared at him, the sting of his words cutting deeper than she thought possible. "Then why did you......,"

"Because you were there!" Dorian shouted, his frustration boiling over. "That’s all. Don’t think for a second it means anything. You’re just… you're just a hybrid. A mistake the council forced on me, I never wanted someone like you Irwin."

Irwin’s chest tightened. "A mistake?" she echoed, her voice shaking. "I didn’t ask for this! You think I wanted to be chosen for whatever this is?"

Dorian scoffed, his eyes narrowing. "Oh...You think Alpha Dorian wanted this? You think I would ever choose someone like you? You’re a hybrid, Irwin. You don’t belong with me. Never!."

Irwin’s anger flared. "And you think you do? Because you’re pure? Because you think being an alpha makes you better than me?"

"It does Irwin!" Dorian shot back, his voice hard. "I’m an alpha. You’re just a hybrid. A half-breed. You’re beneath me."

Irwin’s fists clenched at her sides. "You can say whatever you want, Dorian, but I’m not afraid of you. You can’t control me, no matter how much you try."

"I Can’t control you?" Dorian sneered, stepping closer. "You think you have a choice in this? You think the council chose you because you’re special? No. They picked you because you’re expendable. A tool that can be used um to secure their plans."

Irwin’s heart pounded, but she stood her ground. "You’re wrong. I’m not a tool. I’m not here to be used by you or the council."

"You’re here because they made you my burden!" Dorian roared. "You’re the last thing I wanted. And you're A hybrid. Someone I could never accept."

"Why?" Irwin demanded, her voice rising. "Because you’re too proud? Too full of yourself to admit that maybe there’s more to me than what you see?"

"There’s nothing more to you!" Dorian snapped, his face inches from hers, his eyes blazing with fury. "You’re just a mistake."

Irwin’s voice trembled with anger. "I didn’t ask for any of this, Dorian! I didn’t want to be forced into your world!"

"And yet, here you are," Dorian growled. "Forced into my life, into my world. A burden I never asked for."

Irwin glared at him, her voice shaking with defiance. "I’m not your burden. You don’t own me, Dorian. I won’t let you treat me like I’m less than you."

"You are less than me," Dorian said coldly. "And I’ll remind you of that every time you forget."

"You think you’re so powerful," Irwin shot back, her eyes filled with fire. "But you’re afraid of me. You hate that you’re drawn to me, and you can’t stand it."

Dorian’s jaw tightened, his fists clenching at his sides. "I feel nothing for you, Irwin" Dorian trying not to raise his voice.

"Then why did you kiss me?" Irwin challenged, her voice trembling. "Why do you keep trying to push me away if I mean nothing to you?"

Dorian didn’t answer. He stared at her, his chest heaving with anger and something else he couldn’t name. But the silence said more than words ever could.

"See?" Irwin whispered. "You don’t even know why you hate me. You’re just being scared."

"I am not scared!" Dorian snarled, stepping back, his fists shaking. "I hate you, Irwin. I hate everything about you."

"Then why do you care so much?" she shot back, her voice rising. "If you hate me, why are you so obsessed with proving it?"

"Enough!" Dorian roared. "Guards!"

Two guards appeared at the door, their eyes widening as they saw Dorian’s fury.

"Take her to her chambers," Dorian ordered, his voice cold and hard. "Now."

Irwin’s eyes flashed with defiance as the guards approached her. "You can’t just send me away, Dorian. You can’t control me."

Dorian didn’t respond. He turned his back on her, his fists still clenched at his sides, refusing to look at her as the guards took hold of her arms.

As they led her down the hallway, Irwin could hear the murmurs of the servants as they passed.

"Did you see her?" one servant whispered. "The hybrid. I can’t believe she’s the one chosen for him."

"She doesn’t belong here," another said. "She’s ruining everything. Lord Dorian deserves better."

Irwin clenched her fists, trying to block out their words, but they stung all the same.

The guards weren’t any kinder as they walked her to her room. One of them, a burly man with a scar across his cheek, sneered at her.

"Think you’re something special, don’t you?" he muttered under his breath.

Irwin glared at him. "I don’t think anything. I just want to be left alone."

The guard laughed, a harsh, bitter sound. "Left alone? You think Lord Dorian’s just going to let that happen? He’ll get what he wants from you sooner or later."

Irwin’s stomach turned with confusion reading on her face, but she refused to show any fear. "You don’t know anything about him."

"Oh, we know plenty," the other guard chimed in, smirking. "Dorian will take what’s his. You’re just here to secure his future, whether you like it or not."

"You think he cares about you?" the first guard asked, his voice dripping with disdain. "He doesn’t. You’re just a means to an end. A way to keep his power. To make sure no one challenges him."

Irwin’s eyes burned with anger. "He doesn’t own me. And I’m not here for him or his power."

The guard laughed again, shaking his head. "You really don’t get it, do you? You’re nothing to him."

"You’re nothing to him. Just a body, just a pawn. And if you don’t fall in line, you’ll regret it." The guards continued.

Irwin stayed silent, her heart pounding in her chest as they reached her chamber. She knew they were wrong. They had to be. But the doubt crept in anyway.

" Am i really just a pawn in this game? ....Did Dorian really see me as nothing more than a tool?" She thoughts within herself.

The guards shoved her into the room, the door slamming shut behind her. Irwin collapsed onto the bed, her mind spinning.