CHAPTER FIVE: The Predator’s Collection

Leo sat in the back of his black sedan, his "long, narrow eyes" fixed on the window as the "Gray Zone" blurred into the gleaming glass of the financial district. Elias drove with the silent, submissive efficiency of a perfect Omega.

The interior of the car smelled of "expensive tobacco and cold leather." On the seat next to Leo lay the silk handkerchief Ava had used to wipe the excess silver neutraliser from his arm. It was stained with a mixture of his blood and the grime of the clinic.

Any normal billionaire would have thrown it away.

Leo held it to his nose, inhaling the scent.

Iron. Antiseptic. And the faint, underlying sweetness of a woman who had been pushed too far.

“Elias,” Leo said, his voice a "low, dangerous rumble" that made the Omega’s grip tighten on the steering wheel.

“Yes, sir?”

“The Hale girl. I want everything. I don't want the public record. I want the ‘dog-blood’ details. I want to know exactly how many times Ryan Blackwood made her cry before he kicked her out. I want to know the brand of the tea she drinks and the name of the servant who looked down on her.”

“I’ll have the file on your desk by dawn, sir,” Elias replied. He paused, his voice hesitant. “She... she looked quite wretched, sir. Why her?”

Leo’s lips curved into a "cunning, bone chilling smile." He thought about the way Ava had looked in those oversized, heavy boots—like a "willowy" bird trying to walk in a soldier’s armor. She was broken, yes. But she hadn't shattered. She had turned into a "hidden gem" of jagged glass.

“The world is full of beautiful, boring things, Elias,” Leo murmured, his "obsessive hunger" flashing in his eyes. “But a girl with a ‘murderous aura’ who cleans blood off a floor without flinching? That is a rare specimen. Ryan Blackwood is a fool. He threw away a diamond because he couldn't handle the way it cut his hands.”

Leo leaned back, his mind looping the image of Ava’s "obsidian eyes."

“I don't want to just help her,” Leo whispered to the empty car. “I want to watch her burn the city down, and then I want to be the one who decides where she sleeps when the fire is over.”

When they reached the penthouse of the Obsidian Tower, the "silent, heavy Alpha pressure" followed Leo into the room like a physical shadow. The apartment was a masterpiece of cold stone and floor-to-ceiling glass, overlooking the city like a god’s balcony.

Leo didn't go to sleep. He walked to the bar and poured a glass of amber liquid, his arm throbbing where Ava had pressed the swab. The pain was "visceral," but he welcomed it. It was a reminder of her.

He walked to a large safe in the wall. Inside were items that would haunt the elite if they ever saw them: a golden watch from a ruined rival, a signed contract of a man who had lost his soul to Leo in a bet.

Leo was a collector of "ruin."

He picked up a tablet and re-played the video of Ava smashing the windshield. He watched it ten times. Each time, he focused on her face—the moment her "soft-tempered" mask cracked and the "Fierce Tiger" underneath peeked out.

“You want to make them crawl, little wolf?” he asked the screen, his "sinister grace" reflecting in the glass.

He thought about his invitation to the Blackwood-Vale gala. It was a "High-Pack" event, a display of arrogance and dominance. Ryan would be there, flaunting his "Vixen" bride.

Leo’s "cunning smile" deepened. He imagined walking into that room with Ava on his arm. Not the "placeholder" Ava. Not the girl in the oversized hoodie. But a version of her so sharp, so "starving" for blood, that Ryan’s heart would stop the moment he saw her.

He picked up his phone and dialed a private number.

“I need a dress,” Leo commanded, his voice "absolute." “Not something for a debutante. I want something that looks like it was woven out of shadows and spite. And shoes. Make sure they are high. I want her to look down on every man in that room.”

As he hung up, he looked out at the city.

Somewhere down there, in a "gray-zone" clinic, Ava was scrubbing a floor in heavy boots.

“Grow your claws, Ava,” he whispered, his eyes dark with "toxic obsession." “I’m coming to open the cage. And once you’re out... I’m never letting you go back in.”