Ariel knew that morning that silence was a luxury in prison.

There was never a quiet, peaceful moment. The clanging of gates, the constant echo of footsteps, endless chatter, curses, and screams all blended into a harsh hum that crawled under her skin.

She walked down the hallway with her body still stiffened from the dream. Her arms clung tightly to her sides, her head bowed as she tried to reach the bathroom unnoticed.

The women inside were wild in their own ways, hard, loud, and unapologetically cruel to anyone new. Some stared at her with blank faces, others with mocking smirks. A few whispered things she couldn't quite hear, but their eyes said enough.

She flinched when a metal cup banged against the bars in angry rhythm, then someone demanding attention and asking for food.

The guards barked over the house, their voices sharp and cold.

" Could he be a guard?" She pondered, and a cold shiver ran down her spine.

But it can't be.

Can a guard smell that way?

Do guards even wear black suits?

' There's no way that's real,'' she convinced herself.

No way a man can sneak into the prison, to what? Stalk her? Watch her?

Her knees weakened; she could barely breathe, as if fear itself gripped her spine.

Though it felt so real, the more Ariel thought of it, the more it didn't make any sense, unless her stalker is a guard, which she needs to find out right away...

" Ah." Ariel yelped, startled by the sudden jump of a woman in front of her.

She looked at her fearfully to see her grinning and showing off her tits.

Ariel stood frozen. She couldn't believe another woman would shamelessly stand in front of her, bouncing her tits for her to see.

Her jaw dropped when another woman rushed over to grab them and began sucking.

' What's going on?' she cried in her mind and quietly sneaked out of her presence.

Finally, she found the bathroom.

But the moment she stepped in, she turned away instantly. Her chest was pounding painfully against her rib.

There were a lot of women right there. Naked. Some dancing while they bathe. Some kissing and sucking each other.

The bathroom was filled with nothing but noise and moans.

' Am I? Am I supposed to bathe with all of them here? Like this?' She stuttered in mind, her shoulders tensed from discomfort.

' No, I can't.' She immediately attempted to get out when a woman's harsh voice stopped her.

" Hey, pet!"

Ariel froze. ' Is she.. calling me?'

She asked herself, but then, she's not a pet, nor is her name. But she did feel like she'd trespassed.

The noise faltered. The moans stopped.

" The new pussy toy has come to the bath."

Laughter followed, sharp and cruel.

Ariel swallowed, she turned to see everyone's gaze on her and quickly lowered her head.

" She thinks she's too good to sweat like the rest of us." The same woman, who seemed like the boss added.

She later found out her name was Rita.

" I.. didn't mean to disturb anyone. I'll just.." Ariel took a step back, but a hand suddenly shoved her from behind, causing her knees to hit the hard floor with a smack that sent pain shooting up her legs.

She groaned and winced in pain while they erupted in laughter.

" No, no. You came to join us, didn't you? What's the matter? Scared?" Rita asked with a mocking smirk, crouching to her level.

" I'm sorry." Tears welled up in her eyes. " I-I didn't mean to interrupt," she murmured.

"Interrupt?" another woman snickered. "Sweetheart, you belong here, don't you? You think you're better than us?"

Rita grabbed her chin, water sliding down her body as she forced her to look up. " What's wrong? Never seen naked women before?"

Laughter rippled through the room as she added. " Miss innocent can't even look at a body."

Ariel shook her head, her voice trembling. " Please, I just want to leave..."

The slap came so fast it cracked through the bathroom. The sound echoed against, Ariel's head whipped to the side, her cheek burning.

" You don't get to act shy here." Rita hissed. " You don't get to pretend you're different. You're one of us. A criminal. A dirty, lying whore who thinks tears make her pure."

Ariel trembled, her throat burned and her chest ached.

" Look at her cry," Another woman mocked, laughing. " Why don't we treat her like whore she is?"

They cheered in support, laughing and giggling.

" Sure." Rita supported. " You'll become my new pet, my pussy sucker." She grabbed her blonde hair and yanked her head to her pussy side.

Ariel held her hand, struggling and pleading.

" Take your hands off her!" A voice barked.

Everyone paused and looked towards the direction the order came from, including Ariel, who felt a sting of relief that someone had come to her rescue.

Rita pushed her head, letting go of her hair as she turned to the red-haired girl. " Move aside, Rust Girl. You're staining the floor with that hair of yours."

Her minions burst into another round of laughter.

" Hand her over," the red-haired girl demanded.

Rita looked at the women behind her as if to confirm she had just heard that right.

She turned back to her." Who are you talking to? Huh? Hedgehog?"

She didn't speak. Her eyes went to Ariel who was being held by the shoulder by one of Rita's minions.

Rita added mockingly. " So now you want to act like a hero, huh? You that's always curling up to yourself, now you've grown pussy, huh?"

" Like I said, hand her over."

" Whoa! Hedgehog thinks she's through now, come on, show us those quills."

Ariel watched in fear for Hedgehog as a fight broke out. Dashing at each other with weapons gotten from broken buckets.

Her body trembled as she saw blood on her arm. " Please stop." She cried to the redhead girl, afraid she'd only get hurt because of her. " You don't have to do this."

Hedgehog smirked. " I'm not doing it for you. My boss will murder me and dumb my corpse where no one would ever find me if they touch a hair on you."

She shouted before attacking Rita.

Ariel furrowed her brow. " Her boss? Is that another cellmate?"

She didn't get any answer until the fight was over and Hedgehog was able to drag her out of the bathroom.

" Stick with me if you want to survive here," Hedgehog told her, wrapping her arm with a piece of cloth to stop her bleeding.

" Thank you so much, I really appreciate it, Miss...?" Ariel appreciated, walking fast to keep up with her pace.

"Just call me Hedgehog and like I said before, I didn't do it for you."

She nodded. " Can you take me to your boss, let me thank her?"

Hedgehog paused and looked at her. Her eyes scanned her body like she doubted she'd survive with such a frail body. " She?"

" Hm?"

She started walking again. " My boss is not a she."

" Huh? He's a man, a guard?"

" Seeing how clueless you are, I guess he doesn't want you to know."

" Who are you talking about?"

" I'm sure you must have met him before." Hedge paused again and turned to her.

Ariel's innocent expression told her enough. She furrowed her brow in disbelief before clearing her throat and beginning.

"Forget everything I said about my boss. The real monsters are locked in here with us - laughing, eating, breathing, waiting for the next weak thing to break.

Soon, Ariel... tears will be the least of your worries."

Cold shivers crawled down her spine.

And that was when Ariel knew, that every breath she took was owned.

Three (3) years later..

Surviving everything was something Ariel had to learn harshly through the years. The prison, monsters, the cruelty, except for one thing.

Him.

The shadow.

The only danger she couldn't hide from. Nor know how to survive.

Like her anchor, like the only thing that made her pulse quicken, instead of her chest tightening.

Ariel had made herself believe that he wasn't real, that it was all her imagination, probably as her coping mechanism. But she couldn't deny the realness of his presence.

Or the scent of him that lingers every morning.

Apart from the first day she ever saw him, he never got close to her again.

But he was always there.

By the cell gate.

Standing.

Watching.

With his face blurred. With his hand tucked in his pocket.

Same position. Same black dress.

She couldn't ever reach him. She couldn't ever speak to him.

But tonight was different. He stepped closer, close enough she could feel him standing by the bedside.

His aura was terrifying, his presence felt more real, more rigid than it ever had in the past few years.

Every breath she took felt stolen, like she was inhaling him-smoke, cologne, and heat.

Fear coursed through her, cold and electric...yet beneath it, something else coiled in her stomach. Something dark. Something that I wanted to know what it would feel like...if he touched her.

She opened her mouth to speak, but like always, no sound came.

Then she felt him crouched beside her and the air shifted instantly.

A tremor ran through her as she felt his breath brush the side of her cheek.

He was breathing. He was real. He wasn't a coping mechanism imaginative man. He wasn't just a shadow. He was a real man.

Her breath grew heavy, her pulse racing. She wanted to pull away, to run, but her body wouldn't respond.

Her eyes widened, darting. Her mouth opened to scream but all effort was futile.

She felt him lean closer, brushing the side of her neck with his breath. Slowly. Deliberately.

Like he purposely wanted her to feel him, feel his heat, his dominance, his power over her.

Ariel clenched her fist when her breath shuddered in response. Her throat bobbed with an unsteady swallow.

She didn't have to see his face to feel his eyes burning into her, tracing her like a secret only he was meant to know.

Her breath trembled, and tears welled up in her eyes when his finger trailed across her chin to her jaw, like he was memorizing her skin.

" See you soon. Ariel Hort."

Ariel froze up. Her eyes widened in shock and horror.

He spoke.

For the first time in years, he spoke.

His voice, rich and deep, rolled her name out of his tongue smoothly.

Then, just like always, the presence slipped away.

When she finally gasped awake, it was morning already. Her sheets were damp with sweat, her skin still tingling where the air had touched her.

But the scent of him lingered. Rich. Intoxicating. Impossible.

That's when she realized, it was never a dream. She was being haunted.

Fear coursed through her veins, but that wasn't the only thing she realized. It wasn't only her sheet that was damp.

Her fingers trembled as they slowly went to her pink folds.

Her breath hitched.

She was soaked. Dripping. And worse. Aching.

Her lashes fluttered.

She should be scared, she should be running off to report to the guards about her stalker, but the way her body had betrayed her left her more stunned, more speechless, and scared.

But who would even believe her? Who would believe a man was sneaking into the prison and stalking her?

It doesn't make any logical sense. Unless he's a guard?

She jumped off the bed, waited impatiently for the guard to come and open the gate before storming off to find Hedgehog.

" Hey, princess," Hedge called, smiling as she saw her run up to her. She never stopped calling her princess.

Across the years, she'd become the only friend Ariel has, more like best friends who rely on each other.

" Hedgehog," Ariel called urgently, causing Hedge's face to twist with worry.

" Everything okay?"

" No." She shook her head and grabbed her arm, dragging her to sit with her on a bench.

" Whoa. Someone seems so impatient."

" I think I'm being stalked." She dropped with no delay.

Hedge paused, looked at her for a second before feeling her temperature. " You sure, you're okay? Someone is stalking you? in here? Is any cellmate bothering you?"

" No, not a cellmate. A man. A real man."

Hedge chuckled. " A fake man cannot stalk."

" I'm serious."

" There's no guard here that'll stalk you, Ariel. They won't dare. Though we might have some prying and ogling since the majority are fucking the women here, but I'm very certain, none of them would touch you."

Ariel furrowed her brow. She understood Hedgehog is a strong lady, but the way she says it, the certainty and assurance, even when the guards are not afraid of her, made her feel suspicious.

" Is it possible for someone else, someone outside to be gaining access into this prison?" Ariel asked.

She shook her head. " No, except the government? And everyone would know if they're around. Come on, what the fuck is going on?"

Ariel's shoulder slumped. " I don't think so." Her brow wrinkled. " He's not a guard, he smells far more expensive."

" Who?"

" The shadow haunting me."

" Okay now, you're only confusing me, tell me what the fuck is going on before time for breakfast, cause once they open that gate, I'm ditching your ass."

Ariel nodded and glanced around before leaning closer and keeping her voice low. " I thought it was just an imagination. I was very lonely and afraid when I arrived, so I thought it was my mind projecting. Though...I suspected it was real, but he was always watching only from a distance, he never got close enough for me to confirm."

" This is getting creepy, but I'm listening."

" Until last night."

" Last night?"

" Hm." She nodded. " He touched me last night."

" What?!" Hedge began checking her body for any bruises, her heart thudding fast.

" No, no, he didn't hurt me. He never hurts me. But it's like...he strives on making me scared, afraid of him."

Hedge sighed in relief. " Why didn't you scream then?"

" I tried; anytime he arrived, I wouldn't be able to move my body or speak."

" Is this sleep paralysis?"

" I don't know." Ariel shook her head in confusion. " But what scares me more...is..."

" Hm?"

" How my body, my mind...is reacting." She looked up at Hedge, as if wanting her immediate assistance. " I was soaked. My nipples were hard..."

" What?! Fuck,!" Hedge burst into laughter. " Is this some kind of wet dream or do you want a stalker to fuck you?!"

" No, no, no, I don't. I.." she paused. Unsure. " But the thought that he might...makes me scared...and...fascinated."

" Oh girl, you're fucked!" She said unsugarcoated.

Ariel's face dropped, saddened and confused. She rubbed her palm against her face as Hedge laughed at her.

" Don't worry, maybe it's this place that's messing you up. It's over already girl, hold on tight."

" What's over?" She asked, raising her head to look at her.

Hedge paused and looked behind her.

Ariel furrowed her brow, wondering what she was looking at, and turned to see a guard approaching them.

" I don't know what exactly you did, girl, or the charm you use, but you'd better thank him enough when you meet him."

" Who?"

" My boss." She smirked.

" You never told me who that is, you..."

" Ariel Hort?" The guard interrupted.

" Yes?" Ariel threw him a questioning gaze.

" You've been released."

" Excuse me?" She demanded, like the

guard had just uttered a very impossible statement.

Her heart started racing as she looked from Hedge back at the guard who gave her a cheeky smile.

" Today's your last day here, Miss Ariel."

" I thought I was going to die here..I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life here."

Ariel wept profusely. Her nose burns. Her lips quivered.

She didn't believe it when the guard told her she was being released. She laughed, shook her head, called him a clown cause she believed she was being pranked until he showed her the file, officially stamped.

Shocked was an understatement of what she felt at the moment. Questions whirled across her mind.

How's this possible? Is the truth out now? Is that why she was being released?

" I'm so happy for you." Hedgehog smiled happily as she pulled her into a tight hug.

" You had no idea, I thought my life was over." Ariel wept over her shoulder. Her body still trembling.

" Well now you know it's not." She giggled, pulled away, and wiped her tears off. " Come on, crybaby, you should start leaving."

She said as she glanced behind her, where the guard was waiting.

Ariel nodded, smiled but clasped Hadge's hand into hers. " I'm going to miss you."

She doubts she'd ever forget her even for a second. It was thanks to her that she was able to survive.

" Don't." She replied, feigning a stern tone.

Ariel chuckled. " I promise to always come visiting you."

Hedge dropped her head, smiling. " You should take very good care of yourself. Don't ever come back here as a criminal."

" I won't." She shook her head. " Do you promise to tell me your real name then? When I come visiting?"

She asked. Hedgehog has always been a mystery to her. Someone she knew nothing about even after spending three years together. She never mentioned her real name, never told her the reason why she ended up in prison.

" On one condition. If you still meet me here."

" Hm? Are you getting released too? When?" She asked, her eyes sparking with excitement but Hedge only laughed and called on the guards.

" Please, take her away, she's ready." She announced as she pulled away from her.

She frowned, knowing she was dodging that question, but Hedge isn't someone she ever wants to see again, but she didn't answer her and only waved at her as the guards led her back into the prison.

Ariel sighed sadly when she finally got out of sight, " Hopefully, I see you again." She mumbled to herself.

" Congratulations." The guard's voice cut through. " Here are your things." He handed them over, nodding his head at her. " Lucky you, your family must've pulled all sorts of strings to spend a life sentence in just three years."

Ariel twisted her face both in confusion and curiosity.

' My family? Pulled some strings? My family that sent me to jail? That never visited me once pulled some strings?'

Her jaw ticked. Her heart felt heavy with feelings she isn't ready to dwell into.

'So it's not like the truth is out?' Her brow furrowed as she added in her mind.

She said nothing to the guard till she was led out of the prison.

The moment she stepped out. A cool fresh breeze blows across her face.

Ariel threw her head back, shut her eyes, and inhaled deeply.

" Mhmm." She moaned out the air, feeling refreshed.

The air doesn't smell of rust, sweat, and chaos. It was fresh, cool, and peaceful. She looked at the clear sky, and tears brimmed in her eyes.

She lowered her head and smiled bitterly when she heard the cries and the excited shouts of a woman.

She looked up to see the family of one of the other people who was released that day, hugging and crying with joy, asking about the person's health and checking her body for any injury or bruises.

They looked so happy to have reconnected.

She looked around and almost every other person had someone or people waiting for them.

Except her.

Her face was blank, her mind was numb.

She couldn't tell if it hurt. Or if she appreciates it.

She inhaled deeply, adjusted her bag on her shoulder, and made to leave when she caught sight of a black SUV parked at a distance away from the prison.

" Someone must be from a very rich family." She muttered, exhaled, and went about her way.

**

" Should we follow her, boss? Or I should call her?" The driver asked, tilting his head to one side.

Silence.

The man in the back seat didn't answer. He just sat there, half-shrouded in the shadows, with one arm resting lazily against the window edge, watching her.

Her small, hurried steps, the tilt of her head when she brushed her hair off her face, the faint tremble in her shoulders. Fragile. Restless. Tempting.

His lips curved slightly, but it wasn't a smile. More like a thought that tasted dangerous.

" Let her be." He said finally, his voice low, smooth, laced with that quiet authority that made men obey without question.

" But we don't know where she's heading?" The driver pointed.

He didn't respond. His silence was its own command. The driver lowered his gaze, but the man's eyes stayed on Ariella.

He didn't need to follow her. He already knew every step she'd take, every place she'd hide.

Watching her was enough-for now.

His expression was cold and blank as if carved from stone, yet his gaze clung to her like a mark he'd already claimed. He leaned back after her figure disappeared, his lips curving dangerously.

Volkov kruv, a cold, calculating, and untouchable man. Emotionally impenetrable, a kind of man who never needs to raise his voice. Judges fear him, criminals obey, people whisper his name but never want to cross his path.

The man who doesn't do love.

Nor is he used to wanting anything.

Until he met her.

Dressed in her school uniform, debating about the computer programming she created during a contest he sponsored.

He couldn't take his eyes off her, off her laughter after she'd won the contest, off her pure, innocent smile.

She'd crawled quietly under his skin that day, becoming his unwanted fixation.

If only he hadn't traveled afterwards.

By the time he was back. She was in cuffs. Seated in court. Broken. Accused. Trembling.

He didn't see a criminal. He saw something that called to the part of him he hides from the world. Something innocent yet ruined.

The kind of contradiction he wants to own. He wants to ruin.

His strong fixation doesn't have a reason, nor was it something he wanted to understand.

Only that it consumes him.

Not like morality was ever his thing, but it becomes non-existent when it comes to her.

He bends the system, pulls every string, threatens judges, and blackmails the government to get her released.

Not for justice. But because he can't bear anyone else controlling what belongs to him.

' She shouldn't have caught my attenti

on.' he murmured, his gaze still fixed on where she'd disappeared.

But she had. And now, she'd never be able to run from it.

From him.