Mag-log inCHAPTER THIRTEENGenesis---Sleep did not come easily.Not anymore.Not here.---The estate had settled into a false quiet, the kind that felt too controlled to be natural. Guards moved more frequently now. Doors that once stood open were closed. Shadows felt heavier, stretched tighter across the walls.War had not been declared.But it had arrived.---I stood near the window in my room, watching the distant tree line where darkness swallowed everything beyond it. My reflection stared back at me in the glass, faint and distant.Composed.Unbothered.A lie I had perfected years ago.---“They’re moving faster than I expected.”The words slipped out under my breath.Not fear.Not panic.Assessment.---The breach.The bodies.The markings.---They weren’t testing anymore.They were advancing.---A soft knock broke the silence.---I didn’t turn.“Come in.”---The door opened.Closed.Footsteps followed.Measured.Controlled.---Lucien.---Of course.---“You didn’t rest.”His vo
CHAPTER TWELVE Lucien --- Control was not something Lucien lost. It was something he maintained. Built. Enforced. --- But control was also something that could be challenged. Not easily. Not often. And never without consequence. --- Standing in the east courtyard, staring at the blood that had soaked into his stone, Lucien understood one thing with absolute clarity. This was no longer a breach. This was an invasion. --- “Clear the body.” His voice cut through the silence, sharp and final. The guards moved immediately, careful, efficient. No hesitation. No wasted motion. They knew better. --- “Kael.” His Beta stepped forward. “Yes, Alpha.” “Triple the inner patrols. I want eyes on every corridor, every entrance, every blind spot.” “It’s already being reinforced.” “Reinforce it again.” A pause. Then— “I want them afraid to breathe without being seen.” Kael nodded once. “It will be done.” --- Lucien’s gaze shifted. To Genesis. She hadn’t moved. Hadn’t
CHAPTER ELEVEN Genesis War never announced itself the way people expected. There were no grand declarations. No roaring battles at the gates. No warning that gave you time to prepare. War began quietly. With a single body. And the understanding that it would not be the last. The moment Kael spoke those words, the air in the room changed. Not tension. Not suspicion. Something deeper. Something final. “Where?” Lucien asked. His voice was calm, but I felt it. That shift beneath the surface. The Alpha in him rising, cold and absolute. “In the east courtyard,” Kael replied. “Near the inner gardens.” Too close. Far too close. Lucien didn’t look at me. Not this time. “Stay here,” he said. An order. Sharp. Final. “No.” The word left my mouth before I could stop it. Not impulsive. Instinct. Both men turned toward me. Kael’s expression tightened. Lucien’s darkened. “You don’t give me orders,” I continued, my voice steady. “Not when this involves something connected
CHAPTER TEN Lucien The estate felt different when they returned. Not quieter. Not calmer. Tighter. Like something unseen had wrapped itself around the walls and pulled. Hard. Lucien didn’t slow as he walked through the entrance, his steps measured, controlled—but beneath it, something darker had already settled. The body. The marking. Her. All of it connected. And he was done pretending otherwise. “Seal the outer gates,” he said without looking back. Kael nodded immediately. “Already in motion.” “Good.” A pause. Then “No one enters. No one leaves.” Kael hesitated. “Not even” “No one,” Lucien repeated. Final. Genesis walked beside them in silence. Too quiet. Too composed. As if she hadn’t just stood over a dead man marked by something tied directly to her past. As if none of it had touched her. Lucien didn’t believe that. Not anymore. “West wing,” he said. She didn’t argue. Didn’t question. Just turned and walked. That alone told him everything he nee
CHAPTER NINEGenesis---The air outside felt different.Heavier.Not because of the nightBut because of what waited within it.---I walked beside Lucien in silence, Kael leading the way through the darker path that cut deeper into the territory. The further we moved from the estate, the more the atmosphere shifted.Less controlled.Less contained.More… raw.Dangerous.Exactly how I remembered it.---“You’ll stay behind me.”Lucien’s voice cut through the silence without warning.I didn’t look at him.“I don’t take orders well.”“You’ll take this one.”A pause.Sharp.Then, quieter“This isn’t a suggestion.”I exhaled slowly.Annoyed.But not careless.“Fine.”One word.Reluctant.But enough.---The scent hit me before the clearing came into view.Blood.Fresh.Too fresh.My stomach tightened instinctively, but I forced my expression to remain unchanged as we stepped into the open.And thenI saw it.---The body lay sprawled near the base of a tree, limbs twisted at unnatural an
CHAPTER EIGHT Genesis --- Being watched constantly was… inconvenient. Not restricting. Not suffocating. Just Annoying. I noticed the shift immediately. The moment I stepped into the corridor that morning, the air felt tighter. Not because of fear. Because of presence. Kael. Always within distance. Always just close enough to intervene. Lucien hadn’t just placed me under watch. He had placed me under him. Smart. Very smart. --- “You don’t trust me.” The words slipped out as I stopped walking. Kael didn’t look surprised. Didn’t even look at me immediately. “You gave the Alpha a reason not to,” he replied evenly. I turned slightly, studying him. He wasn’t like the others. Not reactive. Not easily provoked. Steady. Loyal. Dangerous in a different way. “And you?” I asked. “Do you trust me?” His gaze finally met mine. Sharp. Assessing. “No.” Honest. I almost respected that. --- We stood there for a moment, the silence stretching between us, heavy but no







