The clang of the final blast shield was the sound of a jail door slamming shut. The office, usually a battlefield of wires and screens, was now a small, dim antechamber to the suite. Kaelan and Anya stood in the sudden, heavy silence, utterly alone. The air, thick with the lingering scent of ozone and adrenaline, was recycled only within the sealed zone.
"Three days," Kaelan stated, his voice devoid of emotion, echoing in the confined space. "No external communication. The only contact you have is with me, Mate."
The forced intimacy was immediate and suffocating. Anya felt the Mate Bond swell, filling the small area with Kaelan's overwhelming presence. The physical space was barely enough for two people, meaning they were always within arms' reach.
Anya turned to the door of the private suite, the destination of their sentence. "We need ground rules for the room. I will take the couch. You take the bed."
"The bed is a King," Kaelan countered, his gaze challenging. "And the bond requires stabilization. Separation causes distress. We share the bed. We do not touch."
"You want to share the bed without touching?" Anya scoffed, the absurdity cutting through her fear. "You reek of dominance, Alpha. It's impossible."
"Then you will learn control," he retorted, his eyes hardening. "We establish the terms, or the bond forces them. We will use this time to stabilize the connection and remove the need for daily Alpha Commands. I need your mind functioning at peak efficiency when we get out."
Anya watched him, recognizing the chilling logic. He was using this confinement as a three-day training session for submission. But she had a plan too. If the bond was their only connection, she could use her emotional transparency to influence his control.
"Fine," Anya said, meeting his gaze with renewed defiance. "We share the room, but the neurological stabilization sessions continue. I will monitor your tremor, and you will submit to my schedule. We are partners in survival, not inmates."
Kaelan nodded once, the corner of his lip twitching. "Agreed. Now, Alpha Command: Enter the suite."