LOGINDANIELA’S POV"Die you whore!" I heard the words before one of the remaining gunmen I didn’t know was there, aimed straight at my chest, finger already squeezing the trigger. Time slowed. I saw the barrel flash.Then a heavy body slammed into me.Alexander crashed against my side and took the hit. The poisonous dart buried itself deep in his shoulder instead of mine. He grunted, stumbled, but stayed on his feet long enough to shove me behind him. He had already shifted back to his human form.The world around me stopped, my eyes wide open and face hitched, my mouth left agape before a guttural scream escaped my throat.“Alexander!” His face twisted in pain. Sweat broke out across his forehead as the toxin spread fast. He dropped to one knee, breathing hard.The warehouse doors burst open. More armed men poured in, reinforcements Laura must have called earlier. Their boots thundered against the concrete. Guns raised. They came for blood. Nacko rushed in front of me, trying to create
“I’ve always been three steps ahead of both of you idiots,” Laura spat. The words hung in the stale air of the warehouse, vibrating with a confidence that made my skin crawl. Was it a bluff? A dying gasp of arrogance? Or was it the simple, cold truth? I looked at the jagged scar running down my arm—a permanent souvenir of the day she had nearly succeeded in ending my life.Beside her, the scarred man, stepped forward. He leaned in, pressing a lingering, possessive kiss to her temple. “My girl’s smart like that,” he rumbled, his voice like gravel grinding together.Alexander’s reaction was visceral. I could hear the audible creak of his leather gloves as his hands curled into white-knuckled fists. “Who is he?” Alexander’s voice was a low, dangerous vibration in his chest.Laura tilted her head, her disheveled hair falling over her bruised face. She was a ruin of a woman, but her eyes burned with a terrifying, manic triumph. “Meet Marcus. My real partner. The one who actually knows how
DANIELA’S POVAlexander still had his hand locked around Laura’s throat when the door exploded inward.Wood cracked. Hinges screamed.Boots struck the concrete in heavy rhythm, each step deliberate, each step owned.Four men poured into the room, broad and solid, their faces shadowed beneath dark caps. Guns rose with them, steady, practiced. The faint shine of metal caught the harsh light above us, and the air shifted, thick with oil and sweat and something colder beneath it.Alexander moved fast. His gun came up in the same breath.Too slow.A kick snapped against his wrist. The weapon flew from his grip, skidding across the floor before vanishing beneath a cabinet.My fingers tightened around the needles in my palm.Useless.Not yet.“Everybody freeze.”The voice cut through the room, low and controlled. It did not need to be loud to command attention.My gaze followed it to the man standing slightly ahead of the others. His eyes moved once across the room, taking everything in. Me.
DANIELA’S POV The shock on Alexander’s face hit me first. His forehead tightened, his mouth fell open, and his eyes bulged as if he truly believed a ghost had walked into the room. His fingers loosened around the gun just slightly, enough to show the tremor he was fighting to hide.And yet… I felt nothing.There was no thrill, no long-dreamed satisfaction. I always thought that if this moment ever came, him seeing me, recognizing me, realizing the truth he buried, I would smile, maybe even feel some twisted sense of victory. But as he stared at me as if his world had snapped open, there was nothing inside me. No happiness. No satisfaction.It felt… empty. As if part of me had always known he would discover me again. As if a small and pathetic piece of me thought he would find me on his own.What a fool.I forced that thought out of my head, snapping myself back to the room, to the woman tied to the chair behind us and to the silver needles warming in my hand.“What is so surprising,
DANIELA’S POV I knew it was a stupid move to follow Alexander, but my curiosity always betrayed me. It always pushed past logic, past common sense, past everything I knew better than to do. I should have known that he wasn’t a fool. That he would smell me, hear me, sense me. Alexander was many things, but stupid wasn’t one of them. Of course he would know I was behind him. But I still did it. I still followed.Maybe deep down, a hidden part of me wished he wasn’t who I knew he was. Maybe I hoped, just a little that Alexander would surprise me. That he would be better than the monster I had come to understand. But hope is foolish, and I was the biggest fool. Alexander would never change. Not for me, not for anyone.Why did I still bother? Why did he still affect me enough to make me walk behind him like a ghost from his past? He was the enemy. The man who broke me into pieces and walked away like nothing happened. The one who reduced me until there was barely anything left to like, le
ALEXANDER’S POV"Enough of these lies!" I blurted out, anger riding my voice like fire, but Gift didn’t even flinch.Not even a blink."Tell me where you took my Luna to." I continued sharply before she could open her mouth. My eyes were glaring daggers at her as I stepped back, trying to control the storm raging inside me."Sir, it’s..."I waved my hand at Lucas, cutting him off without sparing him a glance.Because the truth was… something about Gift messed with my mind in ways I hated to admit.I felt something for her, something I couldn’t name, couldn’t understand, and definitely couldn’t allow.I had even helped her friend get the medical treatment she needed only because I couldn’t stand seeing her devastated. Couldn’t stand the brokenness in her eyes.Couldn’t stand what Alphonce told me earlier.Yes, Alphonce was the one who told me what happened to Vivian.He had swallowed his pride, put aside his ego, and called me for help.And that was the moment the truth hit me like a p
LAURA’S POVIt had been two days since Gloria vanished from the packhouse, two long days of panic and unanswered questions. My chest felt tight with every passing hour. I had to find her. I had to find my mother-in-law because she was the only one who had ever cared for me. She protected me, defend
GLORIA’S POVI forced my eyes to study the cold, dark and filthy room around me. The air smelled of rust and damp wood. Pain throbbed through every part of my body. Fresh wounds burned on my skin, and bruises pulsed with each shallow breath I took. The woman who had dragged me here had enjoyed ever
GIFT’S POV The darkness around me felt thick, heavy, and endless. It pressed against my chest as if the air itself didn’t want me to breathe. My body burned from inside out, and every pulse of my heart sent pain rushing through my veins. Something was wrong, terribly wrong. I tried to open my
DANIELA’S POVThe moment Alexander left the house with the pups, my heart clenched. My stomach twisted, and my fists tightened. I turned to Alphonce, who was standing in front of me, staring as if he couldn’t believe what had just happened.“I need to talk to you.” I glared at him, not giving him a







