The Bride He Hates-Chapter 33: I’ll Never Love You

Lyanna was stunned by his straightforward question. Azrael was asking her to acknowledge that their relationship had changed and that she had found comfort in his arms.

But she knew that was exactly what he wanted. He wanted her to admit she was starting to depend on him, beginning to crave his attention. And that would be his ultimate victory.

"Yes." She replied. "I hated it. Every second of it."

"You’re lying." He said, looking at her with disbelief.

"I’m not." Lyanna replied as she stood up and walked away from him. "You held me when I was scared and exhausted. My body accepted comfort because humans look for safety when traumatized. It’s biology, not feelings." She paused.

"You want me to say I enjoyed being held by the man who has been destroying me? The man who married me for revenge? The man who locks me in chambers when I displease him, who controls every part of my life, who has repeatedly told me that my only purpose is to suffer?" She chuckled.

Azrael was furious but he didn’t interrupt her.

"So, no, I didn’t enjoy being held by you, and I never will. Because I know that everything you do is a manipulation in one way or another."

Azrael then immediately walked towards her at his supernatural speed and startled her. Lyanna forced herself not to flinch.

"You think I was manipulating you?"

"Weren’t you? Everything you do has a purpose. You’ve taught me that over and over again. You wanted me to feel safe so you could take that safety away.

You know what, I think, maybe your revenge was flawed from the beginning because you thought I would break easily, but your previous methods failed, and now, you’re finding new ways to hurt me."

Azrael gripped her chin and forced her to look into his eyes.

"You think you know me? You’ve been here a few weeks and think you’ve figured out my every motive, and strategy. This level of arrogance is impressive."

She tried to pull away but couldn’t.

"You’ll always be the man who forced me into this marriage and who controls every part of my life, even what I eat and what I wear. You’ve spent weeks making sure I understand exactly what I am to you."

"Be careful how far you push this, Lyanna."

"Why? What will you do? Lock me in the chambers again? Take away the freedoms I’ve earned by being your perfect, obedient wife in public? You’ve already done all of that." She snickered.

"So no, I will never enjoy your touch. Congratulations on your successful revenge. You’ve created exactly what you wanted, a wife who despises you."

The silence that followed was suffocating. Azrael stared at her, then he abruptly released her, almost shoving her away. Lyanna stumbled, but regained her balance.

"Fine. If you hate me so much, then there’s no point in pretending otherwise. You’re absolutely right that my revenge was flawed. I’ve been too kind. Maybe I shouldn’t mix in moments of weakness that you clearly see as manipulation."

He walked towards his desk and began taking off his coat.

"I held you because seeing you scared made me want to comfort you. But you called it manipulation." He tossed the coat on the chair.

"If you’ve already made up your mind, then why should I disappoint you?" He turned to face her.

"Let’s make things clear once and for all. You are my property, my revenge bride. I don’t need your affection. I don’t want your love. What I want is your complete submission, your obedience, and your awareness that you exist only because I allow it."

He walked closer, and Lyanna backed up until she hit the wall.

"And if you hate being touched by me, then we’ll see how you feel after I stop holding back, when I remind you exactly what being my property really feels like."

He leaned against the wall beside her head, caging her in.

"You think the punishments you’ve faced show the full extent of what I’m capable of?" He laughed. "I’ve been gentle with you, Lyanna."

Lyanna gasped.

"Do what you want. You always do anyway. At least now we’re both honest about what this marriage is, instead, of playing games to show fake kindness."

"Oh, I plan to. And you’ll regret that honesty. You’ll learn that there are levels of cruelty, and what you’ve faced so far has been very mild compared to what I can actually do."

He stepped away from the wall, leaving her shaking.

"You seem to have forgotten your place, forgotten what you are here for. Perhaps the training, the lessons, have made you think you’re more than property. But don’t worry, we’ll fix that misunderstanding."

He walked to his desk, sat down and pulled out some papers.

"Get in bed. Tomorrow you have lessons with Helena, and your combat training with Adrian is suspended indefinitely. You don’t need to learn to fight. You need to remember how to obey. And Lyanna?" He didn’t look up from his papers.

"There is a gathering of the four courts in a week. You’ll attend every function, smile beside me, and play the role of a perfect queen, like always."

Lyanna climbed into bed, her mind racing with the implications of what she had just done. She had wanted to protect herself by rejecting him before he could use her feelings against her. She wanted to draw a line and resist being manipulated.

But instead, she might have unleashed something far worse. She had removed whatever restraint he had, whatever small part of him that had held back. She had challenged him to become a monster. And he had accepted that challenge.

Hours passed. She couldn’t sleep. Finally, near dawn, she heard him stand and approach the bed. She felt him lie down beside her.

"If hatred is all you’ll ever feel, then hatred is all you’ll get in return." He whispered. "And we’ll see which of us survives that better. Your punishments will continue until you either break completely, or until you admit you were lying tonight."

The ultimatum lingered in the air.

"Those are your choices now, wife. Choose wisely. Because unlike marriage, this choice is actually yours to make."

The silence after he finished felt stifling. Lyanna lay there frozen. Behind her, she felt Azrael sleeping. Lyanna understood that she had started a war. A war that would only end when one of them is completely destroyed.

And she had a terrible feeling that she would regret it more than anything else, even that moment six years ago when she’d rejected him at the altar and created this entire nightmare.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​