Velvet Chains

The room smelled like jasmine and secrets.

Alina's eyes blinked open, dazed and dry, the silk sheets soft against her bare skin. She tried to move, but her wrists tugged gently against restraints-not metal, but velvet. A sound-a sigh, maybe a whisper-slipped past her lips before her memories could catch up.

Her heart began to race.

Where am I?

The walls were cream and gold, everything glowing in soft candlelight. A storm rumbled beyond the glass-paned windows, waves crashing in the distance. She wasn't in the city anymore. This place felt... untouched. Intimate. Dangerous.