MasukDominic’s POVI pulled up outside her office building at five-thirty, engine idling, sunglasses on, telling myself I wasn’t nervous.I wasn’t nervous. I was just early.Okay, I was nervous.The plan was simple. Pick Chloe up from her last in-person day before her new leave started, grab food, go back to my loft. Easy. Normal. No reason for my stomach to be doing whatever it was currently doing.Then I saw her.She came through the glass doors laughing. Head thrown back, hand on her chest, the way she laughed when something actually got her. And beside her was some guy in a fitted button-down and neat slacks, grinning like he’d said the funniest thing in the world. Young. Good-looking in a clean, harmless kind of way. He was leaning slightly toward her — not inappropriately, not obviously, just close enough to make my jaw tighten.I stepped out of the truck.Chloe spotted me and her smile shifted slightly. Not guilty. Just surprised. “Dominic. You’re early.”“Traffic was light.” I look
Chloe’s POVI’d been avoiding the office for two weeks, working remotely, attending meetings virtually. But Adrian insisted on a face-to-face for the quarterly review, so Thursday morning, I found myself back in the InnovateTech building.With Marcus shadowing me.“You know this makes me look insane, right?” I said as we rode the elevator up.“It makes you look protected. It’s totally different.”“Everyone’s going to think you’re my boyfriend.”“Would that be so bad?”I glanced at him. “I don’t know. Would it?”He smiled slightly. “Let them think what they want. Your safety matters more than office gossip.”The elevator doors opened, and I immediately noticed people staring.Maya, my work friend, practically sprinted over. “Oh my God, is that him? The bodyguard everyone’s been talking about?”“Marcus, this is Maya. Maya, Marcus.”“Pleasure,” Marcus said with professional politeness.Maya was practically vibrating with curiosity. “So you’re like, her personal security? That’s so intens
Marcus's POVI took a breath. This was the part where I could pull back. Where I could make a joke or change the subject and keep my walls intact.But Chloe had asked. And I was tired of hiding."You scare me," I admitted."I scare you?""Terrify me. Because protecting you makes me feel useful. It gives me purpose when I've spent years feeling like I don't deserve one." I met her eyes. "But it's more than that. Somewhere between teaching you to fight and watching you adapt and listening to you talk about your fears… I started seeing you as more than a mission.""What do you see me as?""Someone I'm falling for. Someone who makes me want things I thought I'd given up on." My voice cracked slightly. "Someone I can't imagine my life without anymore."Her eyes went wide. "Marcus…""I know it's fast. I know it's complicated with Dominic and Lucian. I know I'm probably the worst option of the three because I come
Marcus's POVChloe arrived at my apartment at exactly six PM, right on schedule for her rotation. The knock came soft but certain—three quick raps that I'd recognize anywhere now.I'd spent the whole day preparing. Cleaning corners that were already spotless. Checking the security systems for the third time. Making sure I had her favorite snacks stocked in the kitchen. Pathetic, really. I was acting like this was a date instead of a protection detail. But something about Chloe made me want to be more than just the guy with the gun.When I opened the door, she looked exhausted. Dark circles under her eyes. Hair pulled back in a messy bun. Shoulders slumped like she'd been carrying something heavy all day."Hey," I said, stepping aside. "Come in."She dropped her bag by the door and looked around my place. Her eyes moved slow, taking in the converted warehouse space—the exposed brick walls, the floor-to-ceiling windows, the furniture that
Chloe’s POVAt two in the morning, unable to sleep, I finally called Alina.I’d been putting it off for days. Weeks, maybe. Too ashamed to admit I was living the exact situation I’d judged her for.She answered on the second ring, sounding wide awake. “Chloe? What’s wrong?”“I need to talk to you.”“Okay. Hold on.” I heard movement, a door closing. “Okay, I’m in my office. Elena’s asleep, and I’ve got all night. Talk to me.”Where did I even start?“Remember when you got involved with Jaxon, Maddox, and Ronan?” I asked. “Remember how I said it was crazy and inappropriate and you should choose one?”“I remember. You were very vocal about it.”“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” My voice broke. “Because I get it now. I understand why you couldn’t choose. Why you needed all
Chloe’s POVI was reading on Lucian’s couch when my phone rang with a FaceTime call from Jake.My younger brother. The one person I’d been successfully avoiding for months.I almost didn’t answer. But guilt won out.“Hey, Jake.” I tried to sound normal, casual, like my life wasn’t a complete disaster.His face filled the screen—twenty-two, still baby-faced despite his attempts to grow a beard, wearing his college hoodie.“Finally!” He looked relieved and annoyed simultaneously. “Do you know how long it’s been since we actually talked?”“I know. Sorry. Work’s been crazy.”“Too crazy to text your brother back?” He narrowed his eyes. “What’s going on? And don’t say ‘nothing’ because Mom said you sounded weird last time she called.”“I talked to Mom?”“Weeks
Ronan’s POVThe main hall was packed by seven AM—every available Serpent crammed into the space, sitting on chairs, standing against walls, perched on tables. The energy was tense, filled with anticipation. Word had spread that this was an emergency meeting about “critica
Ronan’s POV - The Next MorningTommy brought up a serious topic during the morning meeting. “We need to talk about Chloe,” he said, keeping his tone calm but looking around with a keen eye.“What about her?” Jaxon asked, sounding cautious.“She's a civilian caught in a war zone,” Tommy replied. “Th
Ronan’s POVTwenty-three hours into the forty-eight-hour deadline, and the Nick situation had gone from complicated to absolutely fucked.“Run that by me again,” I said to Blade, staring at the financial records on my screen with growing unease.“The payments to Nick’s account came through a shell
Alina’s POVThe conference room where they’d scheduled my deposition was deliberately intimidating—all dark wood and leather chairs, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Chicago’s skyline like a reminder of how far I could fall. Hart’s legal team had arrived early, spreading their materials across







