Chapter 5

The silence he left behind was deafening. Without his presence, his scent, his overwhelming energy, the room felt cold and hollow. I lay on the cot for a long time, just breathing, my fingers constantly returning to the leather collar around my neck. It was a tangible connection to him, a brand that promised his return. But my body was still humming with an intense need, a low-grade fever that demanded more. I was thirsty. I was hungry. And I desperately needed to clean up.

His command echoed in my head. *Don’t leave this room.* But the need for water…