ROWANI ignore him.It’s better if she thinks I’m indifferent. That she can build a life with someone kind, her age, who doesn’t have blood on his hands.Someone... better. Like Bronze. But he’s disappointing me lately by acting confused and not giving Venus the respect and love she deserves. It’s all because of that woman, Mallory. I don’t know what her plans are yet but I’ll find out soon. My men have already started keeping an eye on her. Asgard growls. "She’s not meant for Bronze. She’s ours. The Goddess chose her."I shoot back, "The Goddess chose wrong."I rise from my chair and walk to the window, hands slipping into my pockets as I stare at my reflection in the glass. A tall shadow stares back. Hard eyes. Cold face. There are too many ghosts standing behind me.I’m not a saint. I never was.I’ve destroyed too many lives. Taken too much. Manipulated every board until I won. And I enjoyed it.I thrive in the shadows, where truth is twisted and blood is the currency. In the ro
VENUSTrent gives her a wink, Their laughter grates on my nerves. I glance at Rowan, suspicion twisting in my chest. Did he set this up? Did he choose Trent on purpose… as if he wants to give me a second chance to prove myself? “Good luck,” Sid murmurs softly, her eyes holding mine for a moment before she steps back.Alex flashes me a thumbs up, his grin wide and reassuring. A little of the weight on my chest lifts.I take a long breath, then step into the ring.Rowan’s voice cuts through the crowd. “This round will be fought with no weapons. Physical strength and combat skills only. Special powers are prohibited.”His gaze lingers on me for half a second longer than necessary, before sweeping across the rest.Trent smirks at me from across the ring. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I don’t need powers to take you down.”I narrow my eyes, lips curving into a smile. “Good. Because I’ve never been scared of circus jokers.”His smirk slips, anger flaring across his face.“Let’s see you laugh
VENUSThe shrill cry of the alarm drags me out of sleep. I blink groggily, the ceiling unfamiliar for a second before my mind catches up. I'm in Sydney’s room.My arms are tangled in a blanket and when I shift, I realize I’ve been sharing the bed with Sid. She’s still fast asleep beside me, her face buried in the pillow, looking more like a sulking child. Across the room, Alex snores lightly on the guest bed, one arm draped over his face. I don’t even remember lying down. At some point last night, exhaustion must have knocked me out cold. After Rimi’s murder, the three of us felt dreadful so we stayed in Sid’s room, and spoke about how we knew her and what could have potentially happened. I didn’t tell them that I suspected Mallory. The clock blinks. 5:15 AM.I groan and gently shake Sydney. “Time to get up. Training.”She mumbles something into the pillow and tightens her grip on the blanket like it’s a lifeline. “I just want to sleep for ten more hours…”I get it. I really do. Th
VENUSI frantically shake my head, my body trembling. “No, I didn’t even think of something like that.” “Lies.” Simon spats, his eyes burning with rage. “She always pretends like she’s a saint but that’s far from the truth.” “I’ll decide whether she’s lying or not,” Rowan raises his hand to stop Simon from speaking further. He looks at me and asks. “Tell me everything you saw when you entered her room.” I retell the incident, my throat feeling stuck and nauseous as the image of Rimi’s dead body flashes in my mind. I don’t want to keep relieving the incident. He then asks Bronze. “You saw the crime scene. Did it look like the murder happened a long time ago?” “No. It smelled like the murder had happened almost half-an-hour ago.” I raise my brows. Bronze has a strong sense of smell and sight so he must have figured that out.“So the time gap isn’t that long,” Rowan says. Bronze narrows his eyes. “Yes. What are you exactly trying to get at?” Rowan sighs and looks at Simon. “Do y
VENUSBut none of that matters now. She’s gone.I push the sting down and bury it under the growing storm in my chest."I didn’t hurt her," I say, my voice firm now.Bronze exhales. "Simon, enough. I’ve known Venus for years. She’d never hurt anyone, let alone someone defenseless."Simon scoffs and throws his hands up. "She literally caused a scene at the party. Threw a glass. Right in front of Olivia."Bronze’s head snaps toward me and he stares at me, as if the wheels on his head are turning. The silence that stretches between us is thick and suffocating. I lower my eyes, guilt pressing heavy on my chest. I know what I did wasn’t right… but I had no choice. I was cornered. So all I could do was react at that moment. Simon doesn’t waste a second. “She did it because Olivia won the one-on-one battle,” he says, tone laced with mockery. “She couldn’t accept defeat. I heard she even bullied Olivia before that. Slapped Trent too.”My fists clench at my sides.Bronze’s face changes. “I
VENUSThe omega quarters are sealed off. Warriors move in, locking down the area for investigation. People begin whispering, scattering like startled birds.Now I’m sitting in the dining room of the packhouse, beside Sydney who had woken up after hearing the news. She’s quiet. For once, she doesn’t speak. I know she wants to ask me things, to comfort me maybe. But she doesn’t.Because she can see it.I’m not really here. My eyes are fixed on the wall opposite me, but my mind…it keeps flashing back to Rimi. Her still body. Her lifeless expression.All that blood. If I allow myself to feel anything, I’ll crack.So I turn everything off. Just… nothing.The door open and Alex walks in while holding his coat. His eyes scan the room until they fall on me. Alex walks over to me quickly. “I heard what happened,” Alex says, his voice gentle as he crouches next to me. “Are you okay?”I nod once. It's slow and almost mechanical. Alex pulls me into a hug. I don’t resist. His arms are warm and