MasukCHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FOUR Dante smirked, a dark, razor-sharp expression that sent an icy chill straight down my spine. He leaned down further into Victoria’s personal space, completely unbothered by the metallic tang of blood filling the humid air of the warehouse."Surprised, aren't you?" he purred, his low, rumbling voice dripping with an absolute, mocking satisfaction. "That is the ultimate problem with being a petty corporate spy, Victoria. No matter how much you think you know, no matter how many files you steal from an executive desk, you still do not know everything."Before the words could even fully register in her mind, Dante’s hand shot forward, delivering a brutal, open-handed slap across her face. The physical impact sounded like a gunshot echoing off the damp concrete walls, violently jerking her head to the side and spraying fresh drops of crimson onto the floor."Do you honestly possess the absolute guts and the nerve to pry into the personal matters of the
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-THREEThe ride to the warehouse was a masterclass in suffocating silence.Dante took the wheel of his reinforced vehicle himself, his large hands gripping the leather steering wheel with an unyielding, dangerous precision. Seraphina sat in the passenger seat next to him, her entire body rigid, her profile carved out of pure, unadulterated fury. I sat in the back, watching the dark, blurred shapes of the industrial outskirts speed past the tinted windows. The air inside the car felt heavy, pressurized by the lethal intentions of the two powerful beings riding in the front.When the car finally ground to a halt, we were parked inside an abandoned, dilapidated shipping depot tucked deep within the desolate docks. The concrete walls were stained with rust, and the only light came from a single, flickering halogen bulb hanging from a rusted chain in the center of the room.Rafael was already standing there, flanked by three heavily armed syndicate men. And t
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-TWOInside the quiet sanctuary of the bedroom, the heavy atmosphere had finally begun to soften. Seraphina’s vow still lingered in the air between us, a sacred promise of no more secrets that felt like a lifeline anchoring me to her complicated, dangerous world.I was still resting against her, my heart slowly stabilizing after the emotional storm, when a sharp, rhythmic knock was planted on the heavy wooden door.We both froze."I am incredibly sorry to interrupt, ma'am," Rafael’s muffled voice drifted through the paneling. Dante's right-hand man sounded thoroughly professional, but there was an underlying tightness in his tone that made my stomach instantly knot. "But Mr. Dante has something highly urgent to show you guys downstairs right now."Seraphina pouted, a rare, almost childish expression of frustration crossing her porcelain features at the interruption. I couldn't help but let out a soft, weary breath, gently nudging her shoulder. "We should
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY ONEThe rhythmic, heavy pounding on the reinforced wood had finally stopped, replaced by a low, agonizing silence that felt heavier than the mountain itself.I stayed curled at the edge of the mattress for what felt like hours, my eyes burning and my chest completely hollowed out from crying. The sun was beginning to set outside the tinted smart glass, casting long, bloody streaks of crimson across the bedroom floor.Then, a soft, incredibly hesitant knock landed on the door once more."Elena..." Seraphina’s voice drifted through the thick paneling. It wasn't the commanding, icy voice of the corporate CEO, nor was it the frantic shout of an immortal sovereign. It sounded completely shattered, reduced to a raw, breathless whisper. "Please. I am not asking you to forgive me right now. I am just asking you to look at me. Don't leave me alone in the dark."My heart gave a painful, erratic throb. I stared at the brass handle, the memories of her clenched fi
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY I woke up with a sharp, gasping breath, my chest heaving as the remnants of the nightmare clung to my skin like a cold, damp shroud. My heart was pounding a frantic, erratic rhythm against my ribs.Once again, I had been trapped in that exact same weird dream. It was always the same haunting visual: me, standing entirely alone in the dead of night on a vast, endless tarmac road.The air in the dream was always thick with the heavy scent of burning rubber and ozone, and a suffocating, supernatural fog rolled over the black asphalt, swallowing my ankles. In the distance, a pair of blinding headlights would pierce through the darkness, racing directly toward me with a deafening roar, but right before the vehicle could strike my frozen body, I would wake up.I sat up in bed, pressing the heels of my palms against my throbbing temples. A deep, unsettling ache throbbed in the back of my mind. I knew with absolute certainty that there was something critical I
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETEEN Alisha sat behind the massive obsidian desk in her private penthouse office, the room cast in heavy, suffocating shadows.The only vibrant illumination came from the sleek, high-definition monitor screen embedded into the wall directly before her.On it, the chaotic footage from the Diamond Group boardroom played on a loop, Seraphina’s freezing defense, the terrified whispers of the board members, and the meticulous, public stripping of the company’s internal vulnerabilities.Her ancient blood boiled beneath her immaculate, porcelain skin. The sheer audacity of the spectacle was a direct insult to the legacy she had spent centuries curating.Unable to contain the blinding fury ripping through her veins, Alisha slammed her fist down onto the polished obsidian surface. The impact sounded like a gunshot, echoing sharply off the glass walls and sending a violent vibration through the expensive desk accessories.A sharp, hesitant knock was planted on the
CHAPTER SEVENTY-NINEI inhale and exhale as I enter the taxi.My heart is racing. Not from exertion. From the lie I just told. From the escape I just made.Because that's what this is, isn't it? An escape.I was planning to go to college immediately. Head straight to the emergency assembly. Get it
CHAPTER SEVENTY-EIGHTDante walks into his study and slams the door behind him.His jaw is clenched. Red eyes blazing. Every muscle in his body taut with barely restrained violence.And sitting in one of the leather chairs near his desk, uninvited, unwelcome, is an older man.Late sixties. Gray hai
CHAPTER SEVENTY-SEVENI sit at the kitchen island, watching Dante move around the space with surprising ease.He's cooking.Actually cooking.The almighty Dante De León, Lycan King, mafia lord, man who terrifies grown adults with a single look, is standing at a stove making dinner.He sent all the
CHAPTER SEVENTY-FIVEI come down from the car with difficulty.Every movement sends sharp pain through my chest. Right where the bullet entered. Where I died and somehow came back.Seraphina is on my left side. Her hand firm under my arm. Supporting my weight without making it obvious.Dante is on







