All Chapters of Dark Allegiance : Chapter 11 - Chapter 15

The light that filtered through the curtains was not bright. It was a soft, heavy gray that lay over the bedroom like a wet blanket, keeping the corners of the room in deep shadow.Luca woke up slowly.For the first time since he had been brought to this penthouse, he did not wake up to cold sheets. Instead, there was a heavy, radiating warmth pressed against his back. A large, solid arm was draped over his waist, the heavy palm resting flat against his stomach. Adrian’s chest was pressed to Luca’s shoulder blades, rise and fall of his breathing slow, steady, and warm against the back of Luca’s neck.Luca lay perfectly still. He didn't even dare to breathe too deeply, terrified that any movement would shatter the heavy, quiet peace of the moment.His body was incredibly sore. When he tried to shift his legs, a sharp, dull ache pulsed through his hips and lower back, a physical reminder of the relentless, possessive way Adrian had claimed him hours before. His neck was tender, and his

The morning brought no relief. The light that filled the bedroom was cold and gray, throwing sharp shadows across the floor. Luca lay in the center of the vast bed, his body aching with a deep, heavy exhaustion. He hadn't slept. Every time he closed his eyes, he heard the red lock on the elevator blinking, or he saw his father’s weeping face, or he felt the heavy, suffocating warmth of Adrian’s body holding him in the dark. The memory of his begging from the night before sat like a stone in his throat. He had dropped to his knees. He had grabbed Adrian’s suit jacket, crying and sobbing, offering up every shred of his pride just for a single hour with his family. And Adrian had said no. The word had been flat, cold, and final. It had cut through Luca’s desperation like a knife, leaving him alone in the dark to realize the terrifying truth: there was no mercy in this penthouse. The heavy door of his bedroom opened without a knock. Luca flinched, pulling the silk sheets tighter

The kitchen table was filled with the familiar clutter of the Moretti home, but Luca felt like a ghost sitting among the living. As the initial euphoria of the hug faded, the reality of his situation set in. His body still ached, a constant, throbbing reminder of the night before beneath his beautiful cream sweater. Every time he shifted on the wooden chair, a dull pulse of pain radiated through his hips, forcing him to keep his posture rigidly straight so his family wouldn't notice."You look thin, Lu," his father, Lorenzo, said, his sharp eyes scanning Luca’s face. The patriarch’s gaze was legendary for cutting through deception, and Luca felt exposed under it. Lorenzo reached over, his heavy, scarred hand covering Luca’s smaller one. "Are they feeding you over there? Is Voss treating you like a husband, or a prisoner?"Luca forced a bright, easy smile that didn't reach his eyes. He practiced this look in the car, smoothing out the tension in his forehead. "He treats me well, Papa.