LOGINLate afternoon sunlight spilled across Dragon estate, turning the gardens gold and softening the sharp edges of the world beyond its gates. Inside, laughter echoed. Real laughter, the kind that hadn’t visited these halls often enough lately. Phoe darted across the sitting room, socked feet sliding against polished floors as Amir chased after him at a pace that suggested he could catch the boy easily… but chose not to. “You cheated!” Phoe squealed. “I absolutely did not,” Amir replied smoothly. “You took longer steps!” “That is the advantage of adulthood.” Apollo watched from his chair, one ankle resting over his knee, a quiet smile tugging at his mouth. Jess leaned into his side, her head resting comfortably against his shoulder. This. This was what safety looked like. Not silence. Not perfection. Just people learning how to breathe together again. Phoe finally collapsed onto the rug dramatically. “I’m tired.” Amir dropped beside him without hesitation.
The phone lay on the floor like a loaded weapon. I couldn’t bring myself to touch it. My breath came in shallow, broken gasps, my chest aching as if something heavy was sitting directly on my lungs. My vision blurred, the edges of the room warping as panic tightened its grip around my throat. No. No no no no no no. This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be. I hadn’t seen him in years. Hadn’t heard that name whispered since the day I fled that country with nothing but dirty money and terror in my veins. Dragma. My hands began to shake violently. How had he found me? Why was he even looking for me my contract with him would end in two months. I only had two fucking months to go. I hadn’t told anyone where I went after I left. I had burned phones, erased accounts, begged lawyers and criminals alike to bury my past so deeply even I wouldn’t be able to find it again. Jackal had even helped me, I had left as soon as I had given birth to Phoe. I didn’t want my baby getting tie
The unease started before the nightmare. She woke with her heart racing, sheets tangled around her legs, breath shallow as if she’d been running in her sleep. The sweat cooling on her skin, her hair clinging to her nape and around her face. For a moment, she didn’t know where she was. Then the room came back into focus. Her bed. Her apartment. Her life she was carefully trying to rebuild. Still… something felt wrong. Not fear. Expectation. She had been keeping to herself, doing mundane things. Chilling with friends who kept low profiles. She rose quietly, padding barefoot to the window. The street below looked normal. It seemed almost fake. Her phone vibrated on the bedside table. She froze staring at it as if it would move towards her. The screen lit up. UNKNOWN NUMBER Her stomach dropped. She didn’t move an inch still stuck in her spot. The phone vibrated again. Then a message appeared, gingerly she took up the phone and opened the message. *It has been a v
The gates to the estate slid open just as the sun dipped lower in the sky, bathing the long driveway in gold. Frank slowed the car instinctively, already scanning the front of the house. And then, “There he is!” Phoe came barreling down the front steps like a small hurricane, sneakers flashing, laughter ringing through the air. “Daddy! Mommy!” Jess barely had time to unbuckle before the door flew open and Phoe launched himself straight into her arms. “I missed you!” he declared loudly, wrapping himself around her neck. She laughed breathlessly, kissing his cheek. “You were only gone a little while.” “But it felt like forever,” he insisted. Apollo stepped out behind them, crouching as Phoe turned and tackled him next. “There’s my boy,” Apollo said warmly, lifting him with ease. “Did you survive this whole time without us?” “Nope,” Phoe said cheerfully. “But I had so much fun.” “That sounds suspicious,” Apollo replied. Phoe’s eyes lit up instantly. A fit of g
It took a while before the shock really settled. At first, I just stayed in his arms, breathing him in like I was afraid the moment might vanish if I moved too fast. The truth still rang through my chest, bright and impossible and perfect. Apollo. Zeus. The same man. The stranger who had once held me as if I were his fantasy in the dark, and the man who now held my entire life in his hands. Fate had a strange sense of humor. I pulled back slowly, studying his face as if I were seeing it for the first time. The familiar lines. The warmth in his eyes. The mouth that had kissed me a thousand times, and once before I’d ever known his name. “I’m so happy even though apart of me can’t believe” I whispered. He smiled softly. “Believe it.” I laughed then, not loud, not dramatic, just breathless and stunned. “You know what this means, right?” I said, tilting my head. He raised a brow. “That destiny has excellent taste?” I snorted. “That you lost a bet… and accidenta
I kept hearing it. The name. Just… spoken. Casually. Naturally. “Zeus, come have a drink.” “Zeus, you’re needed here.” “Zeus, stop pretending you don’t hear us.” Every time they said it, something in my chest tightened. Every. Single. Time. At first, I told myself it was coincidence. A nickname. A joke between friends. But then I noticed the way Apollo responded, not confused, not questioning, just instinctively turning toward the voice, answering as if that name had always belonged to him. And every time he did… My heart reacted. A slow, dangerous hope began to bloom in my chest. I hadn’t meant for it to. God knew I hadn’t. That night in another country had been sealed away in my memory tender, surreal, wrapped in velvet and anonymity. The masked man. The warmth of his voice. The gentleness that had surprised me. The way I had felt seen without ever seeing his face. How drawn I had felt towards him. And how drawn I had felt towards Apollo when I had first me







