Chapter three

CRESCENT ESTATE

Isla’s POV

The gates of Crescent Estate were taller than the house I grew up in. That was the first thing I noticed.

Not the black iron bars stretching endlessly upward or the massive walls disappearing into the distance like they had no end. Not even the two wolves standing beside the entrance. Breathing and vigilant.

Their eyes followed the car slowly as I pulled closer, and suddenly, for the first time since accepting the job, panic settled heavily inside my chest.

What exactly had I walked into?

I swallowed hard and rolled down the window halfway.

Before I could even speak, one of the guards stepped forward.

He was huge. Not just tall. Huge enough to make me feel smaller from inside the car alone. His expression remained cold as his gaze moved over me briefly before checking something on a device in his hand.

“Name,” he said.

“Isla Warren.”

His eyes lowered again, but now to the driver. A few seconds passed. Then he stepped back.

“Follow the drive. Do not stop until the main entrance.”

That was all.

The gates slowly opened. I stared ahead, uncertainly swallowing so hard. And then the driver stepped on the pedal, driving in.

One minute passed.

Then another.

I noticed trees on both sides of the road endlessly. Expensive black vehicles passed occasionally while guards stood at certain intervals throughout the estate grounds like silent statues.

The drive went on. Three minutes. Then four.

Four whole minutes just to reach an estate.

My breath caught the moment the building finally came into view.

The structure ahead looked unreal.

Dark stone walls climbed toward the sky while massive glass windows reflected the fading evening light. The estate itself looked ancient and modern at the same time, like something powerful had existed there long before the city around it.

My stomach twisted nervously. Roman had once told me stories about buildings like this. I just couldn’t believe that they truly exist.

I felt pain once again as I thought of him, but I brushed it off. I had to, if I really wanted a new beginning.

I got out of the car, carrying my luggage, while I stood near the entrance stairs, staring up at the building. Unease crawled beneath my skin as I bid farewell to the driver.

Everything here felt too expensive. And somehow… too unusual.

The front doors opened before I could reach for the knob.

A woman stepped outside. She looked to be in her fifties with silver-streaked dark hair pulled into a neat bun. Everything about her looked orderly, from the crease of her black suit to the straightness of her posture.

“You’re late by three minutes,” she said immediately.

I blinked. “I’m sorry?”

She said flatly before turning around. “Follow me.”

I hurried after her awkwardly.

The inside of the estate was somehow even more intimidating.

“This way,” the woman said.

I followed her upstairs.

“My name is Mrs. Denver. I oversee household operations within Crescent Estate.”

Something about her voice made me straighten immediately.

“Yes, ma’am.”

She glanced at me briefly before continuing down the hallway.

“We value discipline here. Efficiency as well. Your duties have already been sent to your email. You will report directly to me unless instructed otherwise.”

I nodded quickly.

She stopped in front of a door and opened it.

“This is your room.”

I stepped inside and froze.

The room was bigger than the entire apartment I once shared with Roman during one of his rebellious phases against his father. The bed alone looked too expensive for me to touch.

“Gosh,” I whispered before I could stop myself. “This room is bigger than anywhere I’ve ever slept.”

The moment the words left my mouth, I regretted them.

Mrs. Denver looked at me carefully. Like she had just learned something important about me.

“I see,” she said simply.

Embarrassment burned through me immediately. She continued before I could explain myself.

“There are rules within this estate.”

My attention snapped back instantly.

“You are not to enter the east wing without permission. You are not to speak to guests unless addressed first. You are not permitted near the security offices under any circumstances.”

I nodded quickly.

“And the third floor is strictly prohibited.”

That caught my attention.

I frowned slightly. “Why?”

Mrs. Denver’s expression did not change.

“The boss’s private residence. He values his privacy.”

She said it like someone repeating something she had said hundreds of times before.

I nodded slowly. “Understood.”

“Dinner is served at seven for staff members downstairs. Do not be late.”

Then she left.

The room suddenly felt too quiet afterward. I sat slowly on the edge of the bed, staring around again while unease settled deeper inside me.

The boss. Nobody had mentioned a name yet.

But something about this place already made my wolf restless.

Like it recognized danger before I did.

Speaking of my wolf..

I gasped.

It was dormant. It has always been. What in the moon goddess’s name is happening?

The thought was barely fully formed before a sudden, agonizing heat tore through my chest. My wolf didn't just move; she slammed against my ribs like a trapped wild animal trying to dig its way out. The force of it knocked air out of my throat. My head suddenly began spinning.

I clutched it, falling backward onto the mattress as everything went completely black.

When I finally opened my eyes, the room was covered in total darkness. I blinked against a vicious, throbbing headache that felt like a physical weight behind my temples.

Fumbling for my phone, my heart dropped. It was well past nine o'clock. I had slept right through dinner.

My stomach twisted with an ache, while my throat remained dry. I needed water, and I needed it now. Standing up on shaky legs, I quietly slipped out of my room into the hallway. Everything looked different in the dark. The corridors appeared like an endless maze, and the severe throb in my head made it impossible to think straight.

I took a left, then a flight of stairs, assuming it led down to the ground-floor kitchen. Instead, I was met with the air that smelt richly of cedar and winter rain.

I froze at the top of the landing. The corridor ahead was lined with custom arched doorways.

The third floor.

I gasped. This was the boss's private residence. The strictly prohibited zone.

I began panicking, clearing the fog in my brain instantly. I spun around to hurry back toward the stairs, but the words of Mrs. Denver echoed in my mind: banishment, punishment, discipline.

"You are a long way from the staff quarters."

The deep voice interrupted the silence in the hallway. I went rigid, my breath trapped entirely in my throat as a massive shadow stepped out from the darkness of a corner study.

I slowly turned around, prepared to drop to my knees and beg for my job. But the moment my eyes lifted to the man standing before me, the words died in my throat. My mind fractured into complete disbelief.

Behold. The terrifying, mysterious boss of Crescent Estate.

It was Ryan. Roman’s father.

He didn't wear a suit tonight, but rather a simple black shirt that hugged his imposing chest. His piercing eyes locked onto mine, completely cold.

For a moment, I thought I was seeing wrongly. Ryan?

No.

No, this could not be happening.

Out of every place in the territory… I ended up here? My mind spiraled painfully.

Should I leave? Could I even leave? What if Ryan recognized me? What if Roman visited the estate?

Moon Goddess.

How was I supposed to survive this?

And just like I thought, he recognized me instantly. I could see it in the slight tightening of his jaw. But his expression remained perfect, pretending he had never seen me a day in his life.

It was for the better. It was.

"Trespassing on your very first night," Ryan murmured, stepping closer, his presence so commanding it should have forced me to slide down the wall in submission. "I do not tolerate liability, Isla Warren. I am fully prepared to have you thrown out of these gates within the minute."

He stopped mere inches from me, his shadow completely swallowing mine. He raised a hand, likely to call security to banish me.

But suddenly, he froze.

The air between us shifted. Before he could voice the threat, his nostrils flared, drawing in a sharp breath. His eyes narrowed to slits as he caught my scent.

My inner wolf violently kicked to life again, but this time, she didn't bring pain. She surged forward with an addictive, magnetic pull toward the Alpha King standing in front of me. I stared up at him, my heart hammering against my ribs, my face covered with genuine surprise and confusion at my own body's wild reaction to him.

Ryan’s gaze dropped to my chest, where he could actually hear the thunderous heartbeat of my wolf waking up inside me.

Suddenly, the cold irritation vanished from his face, and was replaced by a dark, dangerous curiosity.