"I refuse this… I refuse this… I refuse this…"
The words came out of Cain's mouth in a low, broken murmur, repeating under his breath like something he was trying to carve into reality itself through sheer will. His hands trembled slightly at his sides, not from weakness alone, but from something deeper, something that had begun to press against him from the inside.
The feeling had not gone away.
That resistance.
That invisible force that pushed back every time he tried to move against the blood pact.
It was still there.
Still watching.
Still controlling.
Pam stood close, her brows drawn tight as she watched him struggle, her earlier emotions pushed aside by something far more urgent.
"You're in a terrible shape…"
Her voice softened, but there was no hesitation in it now.
"…Tell me what I can do to help you."
Cain's breathing grew uneven.
His thoughts moved fast.
Too fast.
"…There has to be a way."
Breaking it directly had failed.
Forcing it had failed.
