Aurora’s POVI didn’t waste a second.The moment Damien Volkov walked out of the café, I rushed to the back, gripping my bag with shaking hands. My heart pounded so loudly I could hear it in my ears.I had to leave. Now.It didn’t matter that I had a shift left. It didn’t matter that I had bills to pay. None of it mattered if I ended up trapped in the sights of a man like Damien.I had seen the look in his eyes.A predator who had locked onto his prey.And that prey was me.I yanked my apron off, stuffing it under the counter before making my way to the back exit. If I was lucky, I could slip away unnoticed.But the second I stepped outside, my breath caught.A sleek black car was parked just across the street.And Damien was standing right beside it.Waiting.My stomach twisted in fear. How? How did he know I would try to leave through the back?Then again, maybe it wasn’t that surprising.Men like Damien always knew how to stay one step ahead.I turned on my heel, ready to bolt in t
Aurora’s POVI barely made it home before my legs gave out.Slamming the door shut, I pressed my back against it, my breath coming in ragged gasps.What the hell just happened?My entire body trembled.Damien Volkov wasn’t just any man. He was dangerous—the kind of danger I wanted nothing to do with.But…Why did his touch still linger on my skin?I shook my head, forcing the thought away. I had bigger problems right now.I had to disappear.If Damien had really set his sights on me, then staying in the same place was a mistake.I pushed away from the door and grabbed my phone, scrolling to the one person I could call.My best friend, Nina.The phone rang twice before she picked up. “Aurora? It’s late. What’s wrong?”I swallowed hard, struggling to keep my voice steady. “I… I need to crash at your place.”A pause. Then, “Did something happen?”I hesitated. “I’ll explain later. Please.”She sighed. “Alright. Come over.”I didn’t waste a second. Grabbing my things, I hurried out the doo
Aurora’s POVMy breath hitched the moment I saw them.Two men. Dressed in black. Waiting.Their expressions were blank, but their presence alone sent a clear message.I wasn’t leaving.I took a step back, my heartbeat hammering in my chest.“Nina,” I whispered, gripping the doorframe for support. “I think… someone’s here for me.”She peered over my shoulder, and her eyes widened. “Who the hell are they?”I swallowed hard. “I— I don’t know.”But I did.Damien.This had his name written all over it.Nina grabbed my wrist. “Let’s go out the back.”We hurried to the fire escape, my heart pounding with every step. The cold morning air bit at my skin, but I barely noticed. My only focus was running.But the moment we stepped onto the pavement—A black SUV screeched to a stop in front of us.I barely had time to react before the door swung open—And I saw him.Damien Volkov.Seated in the back seat, legs crossed, watching me like a predator watching its prey.A slow smirk played at his lips.
Aurora’s POVThe car ride was suffocating.Not because of fear.Not even because I knew I had walked into a trap of my own making.But because of him.Damien sat beside me, his powerful frame radiating a heat that seeped into my skin, making me hyperaware of his presence. His scent—something dark, expensive, and forbidden—wrapped around me like chains.I refused to look at him.Refused to acknowledge the way my body betrayed me in his presence.Focus, Aurora. Stay strong.I clenched my hands in my lap, nails digging into my skin. "Where are we going?""Home," Damien said smoothly.I scoffed. "I already have a home."He turned his head slightly, eyes gleaming in the dim light. "Do you?" His voice dripped with mockery. "A cramped apartment? A place where you're forced to run every time someone comes knocking?"My jaw tightened. "You don’t know anything about me."He chuckled lowly. "I know enough."My stomach twisted. He was right. I didn't have anywhere safe. I had been running for yea
Aurora’s POVI gasped as Damien’s hands tightened around my waist, pressing me firmly against the cold penthouse wall.My legs were still wrapped around him, my body trapped against his, heat pulsing between us like an electric storm. His scent—dark, intoxicating—was everywhere, suffocating my thoughts, blurring the lines between desire and danger.I wasn’t supposed to be here.I wasn’t supposed to want this.But my body was betraying me."You’re shaking," Damien murmured, his deep voice sending shivers down my spine. His fingers trailed up my thigh, brushing against the hem of my dress. "Is it fear… or something else?"My heart pounded violently. "I—"I couldn’t answer.Because we both knew the truth.It wasn’t fear.It was him.He tilted his head, amusement flickering in his dark eyes. "You keep running, sweetheart." His fingers grazed my jaw, forcing me to meet his gaze. "But here’s the thing—" His lips brushed against my ear, his voice a sinful whisper. "I always catch you."I cle
Aurora’s POVMy heart pounded as I ran through the hallway, my heels clicking against the marble floors.Escape.I didn’t know where I was going—only that I needed to get away from him.Away from Damien Volkov.My breath came in ragged gasps as I skidded toward the elevator, slamming the button repeatedly.Come on, come on!The doors slid open, and I lunged inside, frantically pressing the ground floor button. My pulse thundered in my ears as I watched the numbers count down.10… 9… 8…And then—A large, strong hand shot between the closing doors.I gasped as they slid back open, revealing a tall, dangerous figure.Damien.His dark eyes locked onto mine, burning with something primal.My stomach twisted in fear—and something far worse.Desire.I backed up, pressing against the elevator’s mirrored wall. "Stay away from me."His lips curved into a slow, predatory smirk. "Not a chance, sweetheart."Before I could react, he stepped inside and slammed the emergency stop button.The elevato
Aurora’s POVI was trapped.The elevator hummed softly as it ascended, but the air inside was anything but peaceful. It felt like I was suffocating, every breath harder than the last, each second stretching out painfully as Damien’s hands slid around my waist. His chest was pressed against mine, his body heat like a furnace, and the way he looked at me—like I was his, something to be claimed—made my blood run hot.I didn’t want this.I couldn’t want this.But when his lips found mine again, I was consumed. It wasn’t a kiss of sweetness or tenderness—it was possessive, demanding, the kind of kiss that stole your breath and made you forget everything except the way his body fit perfectly against yours.Before I even realized it, my legs were wrapped around his waist, my body pulling him closer instinctively. My hands were tangled in his hair, tugging him deeper, as if my body knew what my mind refused to acknowledge.Damien’s mouth moved against mine with a ferocity that made me dizzy.
Aurora’s POVI couldn't breathe.The elevator doors slid shut behind us, sealing us inside. The air in the small space felt thick, suffocating. My chest rose and fell in rapid succession as I clung to Damien—my legs instinctively wrapped around his waist, as if my body knew what it wanted even when my mind screamed at me to fight. To run. I should run, but... why couldn’t I move?Damien’s body was hard against mine, his heat radiating through the thin fabric of my dress. His hands were all over me, touching, exploring, claiming. His lips tasted of something forbidden, and the way he kissed me… it felt like an urgent demand. As if he had been waiting for this moment his whole life. My heart raced, my body betraying me with every second that passed, but my mind—my mind was still screaming for me to stop.No. I shouldn’t be doing this.This wasn’t me. This wasn’t the plan.But I couldn’t deny the pull. His lips were on mine, devouring, demanding. He didn’t give me the chance to protest,
Silence pressed against their ears as they approached the lowest chamber. The air was heavier here—thick with ozone and dread, as if the facility itself exhaled the weight of its own malice. Damien’s flashlight beam danced across the walls, revealing veins of circuitry pulsing beneath steel plates. Each step echoed like a verdict.Aurora’s grip on her rifle tightened. “This corridor leads straight to the core. Seraph must be close.”Asher flanked Damien’s other side, unblinking in the dim light. Though forged in Monroe’s broken crucible, the boy’s courage was pure—a reminder that hope could grow from ashes.Null’s voice crackled in their earpieces. “I’m seeing systems coming back online. Ten minutes before full lockdown. We need to move.”Elias checked his watch. “Understood.”They rounded the final corner and stopped.A vaulted chamber yawned before them. In its center, illuminated by a ring of harsh white light, stood Seraph. Taller than a child but smaller than an adult, she was fr
The silence grew heavier the deeper they went.Null’s map guided them through a maze of subterranean halls—some cold and sterile, others torn by time and disuse. The smooth hum of generators still echoed in places, interspersed by flickering emergency lights that bathed the world in sickly red pulses.Damien led the way with Aurora and Asher close at his heels. The boy in the containment pod had given them everything—coordinates, access routes, and warnings. Seraph wasn’t like Daemon or Omega.He was worse.“Bio-signature locked,” Null murmured, eyes on the scanner as they reached another sealed door. “There’s something down there. No readable vitals, but movement… constant. Pacing, almost.”“He’s waiting,” Aurora said.Asher’s small voice cut in, soft but certain. “He doesn’t think. He reacts. He was made to become… everything they wanted me to be.”Damien knelt beside him. “You don’t have to face this.”Asher looked up. “I do. If we don’t stop him, he’ll come for us. For others.”Au
The elevator doors closed with a reluctant groan, sealing them in.Inside the narrow shaft, the only light came from their tactical gear—soft glows against skin and metal. Aurora stood beside Damien, her hand brushing against his, an anchor in the silence. Asher stood between them, staring straight ahead, lips pressed into a thin, focused line.The descent felt longer than it should have. As if the very walls were stretching around them—preparing to swallow them whole.Then the lift jolted to a stop.A hiss of depressurization followed. The doors slid open with a groan, revealing a corridor bathed in cold white light. Clean. Too clean. The sterile scent of disinfectant and ozone clung to the air like a ghost.“This is it,” Null said quietly. “The Core Lab.”They stepped out as one.Unlike the upper floors, this level was pristine. Not abandoned. Not even neglected. Lights functioned. Doors responded to biometric scans. Cameras followed their every move, some still tracking with soft c
The sun dipped low, setting fire to the horizon in hues of crimson and ash. From the ridge above the temporary camp, Damien stood alone, watching shadows stretch over the forest like fingers reaching for something they could never quite hold.Below him, the others prepared in near silence. The kind of silence that didn’t come from fear—but from knowing. From understanding just how close they were to the end.The wind curled around him, carrying the scent of pine and steel and something colder. A storm was coming. Not of weather—but of reckoning.“You always find the highest place when you need to think.”He didn’t turn. He didn’t need to.Aurora’s voice always settled beneath his skin like a familiar hum—gentle and steady.She stepped up beside him, hands tucked into the sleeves of her jacket, her gaze following his to the horizon.“You used to be quieter,” he said. “Before all this.”“I used to have more to be afraid of,” she replied, half-smiling. “Now I just have more to lose.”He
The boy didn’t speak of the dream again.But something in him shifted after that night. His steps were a little steadier. His gaze no longer darted to the exits first. He stayed near Damien, yes, but not like a shadow clinging to light. Now, it felt like a tether, an anchor—not dependence, but choice.Damien noticed it when they trained in the clearing behind the safehouse. The boy followed directions without flinching, without looking over his shoulder every five seconds like he expected Monroe to appear from behind the trees. And when Kai handed him a blade—not sharp, just a practice knife—he held it with the curiosity of someone discovering a piece of themselves.“What do we call him?” Eli
The morning sunlight felt wrong.Too bright. Too open.After days in the Hollow’s synthetic twilight, Damien squinted at the skyline like it was some forgotten relic. The world outside was still broken, scarred by everything Monroe had built, but out here—beneath real sky—it felt like breathing for the first time in weeks.They moved through the forest trail in silence, Aurora walking beside Damien, the child—now clothed in a borrowed jacket and boots too large—staying close to Damien’s side like a shadow tethered to light.No name.No past.
The air inside the chamber thickened as the hum of the cryopod deepened, soft lights tracing across its surface like veins awakening after a long slumber. Damien stood with his hand hovering just above the control panel, eyes locked on the boy within. A-00.The child who shouldn’t exist.The child who had been discarded—forgotten—yet had outlived the project meant to replace him.Aurora touched Damien’s arm gently. “Are you ready?”He didn’t answer right away. His gaze was still fixed on the boy’s face. So young, so still. Yet somehow, it felt like staring into a mirror that refused to reflect.
The helicopter blades sliced through the Ural sky like a warning.Beneath them, the forest spread like a sea of frozen pine and fractured stone, untouched and unwelcoming. The coordinates Null had provided pointed to a narrow canyon—its jagged sides veined with ice and shadow—where no human path should've ever led.Damien sat beside Aurora, eyes locked on the narrowing terrain below. The cold had begun to seep in through the insulated layers, but it wasn’t the temperature that clenched his gut.It was the silence.Even at this altitude, the absence of wildlife was unnerving.As if nature itself refused to brea
The wind had changed by morning.Geneva’s neutral calm felt different now—like something sacred had been disturbed beneath its manicured stillness. The team gathered in the briefing room of the underground complex, still shaken from what they’d uncovered the night before: Damien’s prototype—Subject A-01-D—and the fractured remnants of Monroe’s last vault of secrets.No one spoke for a long while.Elias was the first to break the silence. “So what now? We’ve seen the start of it. That clone—your prototype—it changes everything. Doesn’t it?”Null nodded slowly, pacing. “It suggests Monroe’s e