LOGINSEANConcrete blurred beneath my combat boots.To get her back, I had to break through solid steel. The heavy metal grate of the freight elevator scraped shut at the end of the flickering service corridor. The sharp, bitter scent of the chemical sedative burned my lungs, mixing with the unmistakable, sour tang of my mate’s pure terror. Freezing drafts whipped from the loading dock vents, chilling the sweat on my neck. I needed to reach that car before the gears locked and dragged her down into the dark."Take it down!" a panicked voice shouted from inside the shaft.Slamming my bare hands into the shrinking gap, steel bit deep into my palms.The heavy doors clamped shut against my forearms. Gears ground loudly, protesting the sudden blockage. To pry them apart, I pushed my muscles past the breaking point. Bone popped in my shoulders. Raw, feral adrenaline flooded my veins, burning away the pain entirely."He's in the doors!" the second kidnapper screamed. "Shoot him!"Metal groaned un
GONG.The deep, vibrating chime rattled straight up my spine, plunging the Silver Tower ballroom into absolute, pitch-black darkness.Finding Sean immediately in this chaos meant everything. The Midnight Eclipse ceremony demanded total silence from the elite guests, but the sudden absence of light made my skin crawl with freezing anticipation. I had to hold my ground. I needed to wait for him to return from the weapons check."Marcus?" Whispering into the dark, I reached my hand out toward the space where the massive guard had stood seconds ago."Right here, Luna." Marcus's low, gravelly voice vibrated just over my left shoulder. "Keep your back to the marble bar. Do not move.""How long does the eclipse last?""Five minutes." Cloth rustled as he shifted his stance. "The elders recite the blood oaths. Then the emergency generators kick in. Stay close."Someone bumped hard into my shoulder."Excuse me," a woman whispered sharply, her expensive perfume smelling like crushed roses and st
TRACYCamera flashes exploded like rapid artillery fire against the tinted glass doors of the Silver Tower.Surviving this political snake pit tonight meant keeping my spine perfectly straight, even as the traditional suppressant medicine burned a slow, toxic path through my veins. I had to smile. I needed to walk into that grand ballroom and prove to three hundred predatory elites that I wasn't just Chandler’s broken, dying human luggage.Sean’s massive hand flattened against the bare skin of my lower back.Heat radiated from his calloused palm, instantly chasing away the damp chill of the storm."Breathe." Sean murmured the command, his warm breath brushing the shell of my ear. "They are just politicians wearing expensive suits.""Politicians who want me dead." Adjusting the bodice of my black silk gown, I kept my eyes locked on the towering mahogany doors ahead. "If I don't establish my place tonight, they will tear your corporate portfolio apart. I have to hold my ground.""Let th
EANLightning flashed outside the tall arched windows of the grand drawing room.Protecting my territory meant I had to face every single threat before it reached my inner gates. Alpha Blackwood sat in the leather armchair across from me. He wore a dark wool coat, smelling strongly of whiskey. His thick beard was trimmed short, and his dark eyes gleamed with pure greed."You look distracted, Sean," Blackwood grunted, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. "Word travels fast in the northern peaks. People are saying the great Alpha of the Northern Peak is losing his edge over a sick human.""Watch your tongue," I warned, keeping my posture entirely relaxed against the sofa cushions."I am just stating facts." Blackwood scoffed, flashing yellow teeth. "Your northern patrols are understaffed. Your borders are wide open. And you spent the last forty-eight hours playing nursemaid to Chandler Gaunt's discarded trash. Hand over Chandler's debt to my pack. Let us handle the south
TRACY"Tracy?" Sean stepped closer, his heavy brow furrowing. "What is it?"I opened my mouth to answer.Nothing came out.A deep, agonizing cramp seized my lower abdomen. The pain didn't build; it exploded. It radiated straight up my spine, paralyzing my vocal cords. The Lunar Decay. Without the AI finalizing the synthetic enzyme, the disease was completely free to ravage my body again.Dropping the laptop onto the duvet, I doubled over.A wet, metallic taste flooded my mouth.Pressing my hand to my lips, I coughed hard. A wet, tearing sound echoed in the quiet room. Pulling my trembling hand away, bright crimson blood coated my pale fingers. "Blood." Sean’s voice dropped an octave, the sound scraping against the walls."It's back," I gasped, clutching my stomach.The adrenaline completely abandoned my veins. The room spun wildly. Gravity pulled my heavy shoulders down, forcing me sideways onto the mattress.Sean lunged. He caught my head before it hit the mahogany headboard."Marcu
AUTHOR’S POVCold blue lights hummed inside the basement server farm of Zach Enterprises. Keeping the company’s multi-billion-dollar AI secure required total isolation, but Clara ignored every security protocol in the handbook. She swiped her level-four access badge, leading a tall, handsome man in a tailored navy suit right past the restricted boundary.Rain lashed aggressively against the high security windows near the ceiling."You really shouldn't be down here," Clara whispered, twirling a strand of blonde hair around her manicured finger. "Sam tracks every single entry after midnight.""I love a woman who breaks the rules." Julian leaned closer, his expensive cologne masking the sterile smell of ozone and hot metal.He offered a devastating, smooth smile. Clara giggled, her cheeks flushing a deep, vibrant red. She practically melted against the nearest server rack. Julian stepped past her, running a long finger along the edge of the master administrative terminal."This runs the
Tracy Xander’s POV Back at my desk, I set the documents down and carefully pulled out the bond dissolution agreement from the stack. My fingers lingered on the paper for a brief moment, as though grounding myself in the reality of what I had already set in motion. There was no need for devices or
Tracy Xander’s POV “Luna Xander, the results confirm Lunar Decay, and it has already spread through your body. Are you certain you do not wish to inform your family?” “It is not necessary,” I replied, my voice calm, almost detached, as though I were speaking about someone else’s fate instead of m
Morgan frowned the moment his gaze fell upon what I had ordered, his brows slowly knitting together as quiet disapproval settled into his expression. “Just vegetables?” he asked, his tone firm though not raised, carrying the natural authority he had always held. “There is barely any nourishment in
Tracy Xander’s POV After all these years, the man had not changed. He was still composed to the point of distance, dignified, restrained, and even more controlled than I remembered. Five years ago, when I visited my mother’s brother, Tim, within his quiet territory near the outskirts, I met a man







