21/08/2025
QUEEN OF THE CLAN
đ EPISODE TWENTY__FIVE
Written by Tales from C
The clan dispersed slowly, whispers cutting like blades.
Chikeâs blood was still fresh on the marble, his body dragged away.
But Malik didnât look at them.
His eyes never left her.
Ifeoma.
He waited until the hall was empty.
Thenâwithout a wordâhe grabbed her arm and pulled her into his private chamber.
---
The door slammed shut.
The silence was sharp.
He cornered her against the wall, hands braced beside her head, caging her in.
His scentâsmoke, wine, gunpowderâwrapped around her.
âYou lied to me,â he said again, voice lower, rougher.
âDo you know what that means in my world?â
Her pulse thundered.
âThen kill me,â she whispered, chin lifted. âDo it now.â
---
But Malik didnât pull the trigger.
He pressed closer, eyes dark, jaw clenched.
âKilling you would be easy.â
His hand traced the line of her jaw, slow, dangerous.
âBut youâve made it⌠complicated.â
Her breath caught.
Every nerve screamed to runâ
Yet her body betrayed her, leaning into his touch.
---
For the first time, Ifeoma saw itâ
The cracks in Malikâs mask.
The war inside him.
He wanted her dead.
He wanted her alive.
He wanted her⌠his.
And that terrified her more than his gun ever could
Malikâs hand lingered against her cheek.
The silence stretchedâheavy, dangerous, intimate.
For a moment, Ifeoma thought he might actually kiss her.
Her breath hitched. Her lips parted.
The world shrank to just the two of themâ
Predator and prey, drawn together like fire and gasoline.
But thenâ
đĽ BANG!
The chamber door burst open.
---
Fola stormed in, face tight with rage.
âMalik! What have you done? The clan is furious. You killed Chike without council approval!â
Malik stepped back from Ifeoma, mask snapping into place.
âThe boy was a traitor. My word is final.â
But Folaâs eyes darted to herââIkenna.â
Suspicion burned there.
âAnd this one?â Fola sneered.
âWhy do you protect him so fiercely? Who is he really?â
---
If only the ground would swallow her whole.
Ifeomaâs heart pounded, hands trembling at her sides.
One wrong word, one wrong lookâand everything would unravel.
Malikâs gaze cut through the tension like a blade.
âHeâs mine,â Malik said coldly.
âTouch him, and youâll answer to me.â
---
The room stilled.
Even Fola blinked, thrown off by Malikâs choice of words.
Mine.
Ifeoma swallowed hard.
The lie had just turned into something elseâ
Something far more dangerous.
---
The clan was circling.
Folaâs suspicions were growing.
And Malikâs claim had just painted a target on her back.
But why⌠why did part of her feel safer in Malikâs shadow than anywhere else?