LOGINIRIS'S POVI was asleep, tangled in my sheets, when the sharp, frantic ringing of the encrypted house phone dragged me into a brutal wakefulness.The sound was wrong—too loud, too urgent and it immediately dissolved the memory of Darius's violent, commanding presence hours earlier.I grabbed the phone, my heart hammering against my ribs. It was Conrick. His voice was a raw, strained whisper."Iris. Listen to me. The Alpha is on his way, but you need to move now. Venus is gone."The blood drained from my face. I shot upright, the events of the last few days—the public claiming, Darius's forced separation, her promise of destruction… snapping into terrifying focus."Gone? But Darius said she was confined," I whispered, scrambling out of bed, my mind racing."The room was empty an hour ago. She forced the window. She left a message—a threat aimed directly at you. You are in danger, Iris. Complete lockdown. Do not answer your door to anyone but the Alpha. Do you understand?""I understand
DARIUS'S POVThe scent of my wolf’s triumph lingered in the sunroom.I had left Iris standing in the white silk, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear and the nascent, dangerous hope that I was willing to risk everything for her. The public, coded claiming was necessary. She needed to know her protection was absolute, and Venus needed to know the cost of touching my possession.I finished the perimeter discussion with Alpha Ronan quickly, my mind already elsewhere. The financial merger was secured. The wedding date was firm. My immediate focus shifted entirely to damage control and control.I found Conrick in the secondary study, reviewing security logs. He looked up, his expression grim.“The confinement is holding, Alpha,” Conrick reported, without preamble. “Venus is in the East Wing. She is enraged, but silent. She knows she is being watched. She demanded to see her father, but Alpha Ronan is occupied with the security review.”“Good,” I said, stripping off my formal jacket and rol
IRIS'S POVThe tailor's shop smelled of expensive wool and raw adrenaline.Darius hadn't wasted a second. He had forced me into the back fitting room of his personal suit tailor, a small, discreet man named Mr. Finch who looked terrified but obedient.While Darius barked commands into his secure phone arranging for his covert security team and canceling all public announcements about Venus—Mr. Finch measured me with trembling hands. I was being fitted for a dress I shouldn't wear, to an event I shouldn't attend, with a man who should be marrying my sister."No white," Darius commanded, his voice sharp enough to cut the fabric. "Something black. Something that demands attention. And cover the neck."Mr. Finch produced a stunning, simple black silk gown. It was severe, elegant, and had a high, structured collar that flawlessly hid the bruise of Darius's claim. I pulled it on. It felt like armor.Darius walked back in, dismissing Mr. Finch with a curt wave. He looked me up and down, his
DARIUS'S POVI didn't waste time on questions.I grabbed Iris’s arm, my grip bruising, and dragged her out of the tailor’s studio. The smell of Venus’s blood and the ruined white silk was a suffocating pressure. I threw Iris into the passenger seat of my black SUV and slammed her door shut.My blood was still hot, molten gold flashing behind my eyes. I had commanded her to stay put. She had disobeyed. That disobedience had led her straight into Venus’s trap, nearly costing me everything.I jumped into the driver’s seat and floored the accelerator. The tires screamed as the SUV whipped onto the narrow village road.“You disobeyed my direct command,” I snarled, my voice low and dangerous, vibrating with suppressed Alpha rage.Iris, pale but defiant, didn't flinch. "She left a blood message. She wanted the confrontation. If I had waited, she would have come to the house and exposed you to Ronan. I diverted the damage."Her reasoning was coldly logical, the voice of the analyst, not the t
IRIS'S POVI was asleep, tangled in my sheets, when the sharp, frantic ringing of the encrypted house phone dragged me into a brutal wakefulness.The sound was wrong—too loud, too urgent and it immediately dissolved the memory of Darius's violent, commanding presence hours earlier.I grabbed the phone, my heart hammering against my ribs. It was Conrick. His voice was a raw, strained whisper."Iris. Listen to me. The Alpha is on his way, but you need to move now. Venus is gone."The blood drained from my face. I shot upright, the events of the last few days—the public claiming, Darius's forced separation, her promise of destruction… snapping into terrifying focus."Gone? But Darius said she was confined," I whispered, scrambling out of bed, my mind racing."The room was empty an hour ago. She forced the window. She left a message—a threat aimed directly at you. You are in danger, Iris. Complete lockdown. Do not answer your door to anyone but the Alpha. Do you understand?""I understand
DARIUS'S POVThe scent of my wolf’s triumph lingered in the sunroom.I had left Iris standing in the white silk, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear and the nascent, dangerous hope that I was willing to risk everything for her. The public, coded claiming was necessary. She needed to know her protection was absolute, and Venus needed to know the cost of touching my possession.I finished the perimeter discussion with Alpha Ronan quickly, my mind already elsewhere. The financial merger was secured. The wedding date was firm. My immediate focus shifted entirely to damage control and control.I found Conrick in the secondary study, reviewing security logs. He looked up, his expression grim.“The confinement is holding, Alpha,” Conrick reported, without preamble. “Venus is in the East Wing. She is enraged, but silent. She knows she is being watched. She demanded to see her father, but Alpha Ronan is occupied with the security review.”“Good,” I said, stripping off my formal jacket and rol







