(This story contains a sexual scene of implied power and control) Discretion advised

’You are not what you think you are’

Professor Ferox rarely betrayed a hint of nerves. His posture was always upright, every gesture deliberate, his voice carrying the quiet authority of someone accustomed to command. The ritual touch at his sleeve, the measured step—these were the habits of a man who kept his world in order, each rule and secret tucked away behind the Academy’s banners and the Hexic’s edicts. Beneath the surface, secrets nested—hidden in the tilt of his smile, the flicker in his gaze when conversation turned too close to the truth. Whenever unease threatened, his fingers found his sleeve, smoothing the fabric over his wrist. His thumb circled the silver ring inscribed with runes, absently polishing it as if he could scrub away the memories etched there.

He paused at the towering door, the sheer weight of it a match for the presence he sensed on the other side. Dominus Regina Thorne. Her name bit into the brass plaque—sharp, immaculate. His fingertips brushed the metal, and for a heartbeat, he pictured his own name gleaming there, the thought sparking a private smile.

“Come in, Ferox. Still eager to leave your mark where it isn't wanted?” Her voice cut through the stillness—bright, edged with a private amusement that hinted at something unspoken.

He almost forgot she was a ‘seer’—almost. Yet the oversight with the boys gnawed at him. How had she missed it? What shadow had slipped past her sight?

He stepped into a room scrubbed to a faultless gleam. At its heart, Regina Thorne stood, haloed in sunlight that set her green suit ablaze, her honeyed hair aglow. She looked as if she’d stepped from a Sargent canvas—composed, vibrant, untouchable. Every stroke of her posture radiated not just beauty, but an unyielding authority. The kind that invited admiration and warned against possession. Ferox felt the price of approaching her, and was quietly grateful he’d never been required to pay it. He moved toward her without a word.

She set her document aside, glancing over her glasses, the delicate chains at their hinges singing a faint melody. Like icicles chiming in a winter wind. Perched on the edge of her desk, ankles crossed, arms folded with measured confidence. Her gaze swept over Ferox, sharp and unflinching, as if stripping him down to secrets he hadn’t meant to bring.

“Out with it,” she said firmly, “I have a busy itinerary today.”

A tremor ran through him as he met her gaze. He swallowed, forcing his thoughts into order, but she was that rare person who could tilt his world and make him want to yield. He cleared his throat, words nearly spilling out. “You can handle—” He snapped his jaw shut. He could face Regina Thorne if only his mind would obey. He willed his focus to the task that brought him here.

“We have a convergence.”

That’s all he said.

Her eyes fluttered as her breath caught. Her crimson lips lifted slightly at the corners.

“Elias Snow and Julian Ice. They were overlooked. They are ‘Frost wielders.’

She shifted from her desk, leaning over towards her monitor, her elegant finger and pristine nail stroking a key seductively, as her leg kicked back. Ferox’s eyes trailed down her back, then followed the seam the length of her curvaceous calf, stopping at the obsidian leather shoe with its red sole. He imagined it on the floor by his bed, draped in what she was obviously wearing under her suit.

He saw black lace.

“Stop it, Ferox,” she said, grinning over glasses that sparkled.

A flush crept up Ferox’s neck, lips twisting into a sneer as he locked his hands behind him, knuckles whitening. Regina’s eyes flickered between the two profiles on her screen. Elias’s hair of night; Julian— broad-shouldered, carved like an action hero from a comic book. Regina’s head tilted ever so slightly toward him, her lips parting, tongue slipping out, teasing along her teeth. Mischief glinting her gaze.

“Pity,” she whispered, as she made a keystroke. “Confirmed?” she asked, turning towards Ferox.

He lowered his chin quickly, nodding confirmation. She glided close, stopping near, perfume brushing his skin. Sharp, floral, intoxicating. Her hands landed on his shoulders, fingers digging in with practiced command. She spun him, the brief touch electric. Goosebumps pebbled along his arms. He caught his breath. His pulse fluttered as her dominance lingered between them.

“Taken care of,” she said, as she swatted him.

Ferox lit up, flinching.

“Go,” she said, returning to her desk. “Tonight.”

That’s all she said. That’s all she needed to say.

Ferox eased the door shut, Regina’s voice a faint echo,‘Thronos Dei’ through the wood. In the hallway, the soft thud of his leather soles set a rhythm that matched the thrum of his heart. He drew in a breath. A trace of rose clinging to his jacket, along with memory of her grip. His wolfish grin ignited. The hall seemed brighter, purpose coursing beneath his skin. Regina. A boy. New playthings, new games. The chime sounded ahead, crisp and clear. A summons, a promise. He strode forward, anticipation sharpening every sense. He couldn’t suppress the smile. The echo of Regina’s chains followed him. A chill went down his spine.

Cold.

Delicate.

Impossible to forget.

In his mind’s eye, the brass plaque outside her office flashed, its edges glinting with the last remnants of daylight, a silent promise of ambitions waiting to be claimed.

* * *

Time’s edges frayed and tattered as the aroma of leather, old candles, and time hung in the air. Sunlight cut a thin band across the faded rug from the window across from Julian’s bed. Shadows stretched toward the doorway as brightness bloomed, returning them to Julian’s room. It felt like a hush. He was lying on the floor, beneath the desk, Elias’s photo clutched in his hand. He pressed himself to the floor, a raw, prickling fear tightening his chest. ‘M’ searched Julian’s face, noting the way his gaze darted to the floor and his fingers dug into the worn blanket as Divergent Academy pressed a thin, faltering warmth around them.

“No one has to know,” she said softly. “The directory doesn’t hold the truth. Only we do.”

Her voice bounced, hollow and flat. The air thickened, a faint static prickle running along Julian's skin. His palms clenched against the floorboards—slick with sweat, a shiver racing up his spine. Heart pounding, breath stuttered and shallow, he blinked hard, struggling to ground himself in the room. For an instant, a second voice, familiar and distant, spoke the same words atop hers, the two threads twining. Vibrating in his ears. Muscles in his shoulders tightened, trapped between the urge to hide or run. The room warped, a chill slicing through the warmth as if a cold wind had slipped in. A spike of dread twisted in Julian’s chest, raw panic clawing up his throat and settling just beneath his skin. His pulse thudded so loud it drowned the present. His world blurred at the edges, teetering between memory and reality as fear anchored him to the floor. Lifting his head, Julian brought the page he held in front of him, gazing into Elias’s eyes of ice. Julian’s eyes. An echo shuddered, followed by the sharp snap of metal against glass. Swirling snow. Ice. Elias was in front of him across the hall by the stairs, then everything imploded into a blinding, searing light.

He quickly sat up, looking around the room, eyes wide, mouth gaping. Skin stretched across his toy soldier face, as if every muscle locked him in place. The rigid mask made him feel small and powerless. A figure left on display. The tang of ozone pierced him as his nostrils flared, tears pooling on his lower lids.

“We met ‘M,’” Julian said with a sigh, lowering his eyes. “I met Elias,” he said, staring into his other eyes from the photo. It felt like the room bent around them, caught between past and present. ‘M’s breath caught as the floorboards shuddered, the vibration rattling the silver frames of the echoes she carried. She stilled, noticing that strange sense of repetition as if Deja vu pulsed warm on her skin. A question trembled in her chest, “Was this really happening again, or were they making something new each time?” She reached out and touched Julian’s strong shoulder, anchoring her in the present. Everything flashed at once as Divergent Academy moaned in relief.

​

* * *

​

The distant rumble, like an ice storm, seeped through the walls, vibrating the floor beneath Elias. The growl pressed at his consciousness, blooming into memory. He was carried to his mother, the warmth of her love on his jaw. Her hand was holding him, soft and warm. Her lips formed a circle as warm air tingled his skin. His eyes fluttered before opening to see Seattle above him, his head in her lap.

“We have to get you out of here,” she said, again. The words ricocheted off the walls, fading with every echo. Elias shot upright, a tremor running through him. For a heartbeat, he hesitated. Should he run for the door or stay frozen where he was? Fear flashed in his eyes. With shaky resolve, he raised his head from Seattle’s lap, as if he were going towards the door. He slid his feet under himself as he pushed from the floor. His brow pinched tight, lines deepening across his forehead, the tension spidering like cracks in ice.

Raising her hands, Seattle turned them over, palms up, as if seeing them for the first time. Her breath quickened, and her lips parted, the eerie familiarity tightening her chest. They had been here before. A picture above the desk, one corner slumping lower, the image trapped under glass, askew as if refusing to settle. Brows knit, and eyes darted between faces as a low rumble crawled through the walls. The overhead bulb buzzed softly, its filament flickering in bursts that matched the rhythm of her heart. Pictures vibrated, and lights winked. The rumbling surged, rattling the bones of the old building. Elias pressed forward, eyes wide. He leaned closer to Seattle and whispered, “We met Sea.” The words slipped through the confusion, so quiet they sliced through the roar, luminous and fragile. His heart thrummed, matching the chaos all around him.

He paused, needing to swallow, pushing his emotions deep inside.

“I met Julian.”

The sound vibrated down like a last thrum of a snare drum, as Divergent Academy fell silent. Julian and Elias felt their pulses sync, a tingling warmth spreading from their fingertips to the center of their chests. Julian's hand lifted as if guided by another's will. Elias mirrored the gesture. Palms pressed to aching hearts. Twin heartbeats thundered together.

Then merged.

Steady and sure.

Until it was impossible to tell one from the other.

The two had become one.

* * *

Ferox felt the heat from her body, Regina’s weight light across his lap as his fingers traced the pattern in the delicate, black lace. He knew he was right, as urgency started rising, his breath low in his chest like coals of a smouldering fire. For a moment, beneath the need, a flicker of fear cut through him. What if she saw how much he needed her? How much of himself did he risk giving away? A groan escaped him as her lips sent pinpricks along his neck and ears, head tilted back against the leather of the chair. The coals sparked brighter. He felt her fingers trace the stubble along his jaw of steel as fire lingered in his eyes, his fingers tangled in the strap at her shoulder, twisting it tighter and tighter, his legs trembling.

He opened his eyes to see the beauty that was Regina Thorne. Hair of honey, now falling like golden waves across her shoulders. Her steel gray eyes, cool and commanding, locked onto his, sharp as a blade. Something flickered in their depths, then her gaze hardened again, reasserting her hold. A smoky growl caught in his throat as the power between them became unmistakable.

“I can see what you want,” her voice soft like a breeze against his ear, her fingers breaking through the waves of his hair. She clinched them, tugging his head back, crimson lips next to his as she felt him tense beneath her. Their eyes met, and he tipped his chin a fraction higher in her grasp. A silent yes shimmering in his gaze. A small nod from Ferox, subtle but certain, tethered them in mutual desire. She kissed his eyelids, branding him as hers, and left behind touches of passion. Ferox knew she was in charge and would take what she wanted, all in her time.

He felt a warmth, moist beneath his earlobe, his eyes fluttering as her tongue darted along its edge. She blew softly, sending shivers, as his fingers left white lines in her skin, moving down the length of her soft, smooth arms. They felt like velvet beneath his hands of sand. He started to drift like a tide, images of authority behind his eyes. Scenes he would gladly act out. She whispered against his ear, the words like butterfly wings dancing at the edges. Her cat-like nails tickled at his neck, each tip leaving a point of heat, like being stung by a wasp.

Sharp.

Painful.

But not deadly.

She felt his desire harden beneath her.

“Did you make your choice?” she asked in a sultry voice filled with calm devastation.

His hand now on the arm of the chair, gripped it as if he were barely hanging on, his knuckles white, veins tracing blue beneath his skin, pulsing frantically to the beat of his heart. A growl started low, vibrating as their tension climbed, her delicate fingers and nails of steel lowering his leather braces from broad shoulders. He inhaled her perfume, a cloying scent of roses and power, mixing with his heat and stirring him further into the smolder, rolling through his skin. He could feel its singe, low but extremely hot, ready to burst into flame.

His breath caught, his Adam’s apple stuttering, rising and falling against the taut skin of his neck.

He gasped. “Julian,” his voice filled with need and desperation. His hands reached up to her strong back as he started pulling the lace straps further from her flesh of fire. The sound of delicate paper hissed as the lace began to tear. A bead of sweat glistened next to his eyebrow, then drifted down his temple, creating an anticipation he could no longer keep in check.

He opened his eyes of torture, rage sparking like the flickering candle. She stared back, calm, confident, and in charge.

“The soldier boy?” she asked, her nails tracing delicately along his masculine lower lip as it quivered. “Take care of him,” she said, tracing patterns across the delicate skin. She leaned forward, her lips close to his ear, and whispered. “I need my share too.”

Ferox shuddered, eyes slamming shut as visions of Julian and Regina danced behind his eyelids. He felt a sharpness, then tasted copper, as Regina's nail pierced into the flesh she had been tracing. The metallic tang sparked alarm deep beneath the heat. A warning, both frightening and exhilarating. Was this what he truly wanted? To surrender completely to the pain and pleasure of control? A flicker of unease stung. What was the cost? He felt her lips dancing against his own, a slick wetness between them, as his fingers dug into her cheeks and angelic skin. They collided, as his passion and darkness consumed them in a way that only corruption can.

She was the power.

She was the authority.

And Ferox didn’t care.

He let her take control.

​

* * *