Chapter Four

Anna's POV 

Prologue of Chaos

A wicked grin crept across my face as I stepped forward. The room turned to stone. Some people flinched, others just sat there, jaws unhinged, staring like I’d just walked out of a grave. But their real horror? It wasn’t me. 

It was Cyrus, standing tall beside me.

 Alive. 

Breathing. The man they thought was dead.

Natalie’s gasp cut through the air like a snapped string. I didn’t even glance at her. I didn’t need to.

Because right then, I knew—I wasn’t just back.

I was here to make them choke on everything they thought they got away with.

And this? This was only the prologue of their living nightmare.

I hadn’t even begun to unleash the storm.

The moment the auctioneer announced the land was officially mine, I rose to my feet slowly, sliding my sunglasses onto my face like a queen claiming her throne. Beside me, Cyrus stood—tall, calm, dangerous. And just like that, the room broke into whispers and sharp gasps

They weren’t just shocked. They were terrified. No one moved. No one dared meet his gaze. They knew exactly who he was—the Rogue King. The monster from their nightmares. The one who painted Logan’s pack with blood and fear.

I turned to look at him then. The hardness in his face melted as his eyes found mine. A soft smile curved his lips as he leaned in and gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. That one simple touch said it all—we weren’t done. We were just getting started.

Cyrus leaned close and whispered, “You did great, Anna. I’m proud of you.”

His words sank into me like warmth in the cold, steadying the storm raging inside.

But the hall was anything but quiet.

Voices—low, sharp, incredulous—buzzed all around me like flies over a secret.

“Is that really Cyrus? No way... That has to be a lookalike.”

“I swear Logan celebrated because he killed him. So how the hell is Cyrus standing there... with her? With Logan’s ex-wife—the pack’s former Luna?”

“She looks... different. Stronger. Beautiful, like she was carved by the moon goddess herself. And yet, he threw her away. For her best friend. How could he?”

Someone in the crowd muttered, “So Anna and Cyrus are a thing now? That can't be good news for Logan, can it?”

Before the weight of those words could settle, Natalie shot to her feet, her voice cutting through the chatter like a blade. “Will you all just stop already? How could you say that with Logan standing right there?”

I let out a quiet sigh, tilting my head back in frustration. Cyrus squeezed my hand, a subtle gesture that spoke volumes. “Shall we?” he asked, his voice calm but firm.

I gave a small nod, and we started walking, fingers interlaced. The moment we stepped outside, the cool air brushed against my skin as the chauffeur moved to open the Rolls-Royce’s door.

But just as I was about to step in, a familiar voice sliced through the quiet. I froze. Slowly, I turned toward it—and there he was. His gaze caught mine, flickering with something I couldn’t quite name. Behind him stood Natalie, her face draining of color, eyes wide as if she'd seen a ghost.

His voice trembled slightly as he whispered my name—“Anna.”

It fell from his lips like a memory he wasn’t sure was real.

I forced a smile, even though my chest felt like it might cave in. Lifting my hand, I gave a small wave. “Hello, Logan. Looks like fate brought us full circle. Eleven years… it’s been that long, hasn’t it?”

He stood frozen, blinking like he’d just seen a ghost. It took a few seconds before he found his voice, and when he did, it was barely a murmur. “It really is you... Anna, my Lu—”

But he didn’t get to finish.

Cyrus’s voice sliced through the moment, calm but firm. He stepped a little closer, his hand tightening around mine. “She’s my wife,” he said, every word deliberate. “My wife.”

Logan turned to Cyrus, his face drained of color as if he'd just seen a ghost—well, in a way, he had. His lips trembled, words barely forming. “W-what… what are you talking about? My wife? You’re supposed to be dead.”

Cyrus didn’t flinch. He stepped forward with that calm but unshakable presence of his. “Hate to ruin your fantasy, Logan, but I’m very much alive. And just so we’re clear, yes—I’m married to Anna.”

Logan staggered back a step like the floor had just shifted beneath him. Then came the laugh—sharp, loud, almost desperate. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Is this some sort of twisted soap opera to you two? Are there hidden cameras somewhere?”

His gaze darted to me, sharp with betrayal. “Anna… really? Out of all the men in the world, you chose him? If you were going to move on, why him? Cyrus isn’t safe—he’s dangerous. He’s going to break you.”

He scoffed, shaking his head slightly. “Ever heard the saying, ‘Better the devil you know than the angel you don’t’? Maybe you should think about that.”

I didn’t flinch. Instead, I leaned closer to Cyrus, letting my arm find his like it belonged there. “Then I guess I’ll stay with my Angel,” I said calmly, my voice steady. “Because I trust him to send that so-called devil straight back to the pit he crawled out from.”

Logan’s expression hardened in an instant. His eyes darkened, his jaw locked tight like he was biting down a scream. I barely glanced his way. He wasn’t worth the energy anymore. My gaze shifted to Natalie instead. I offered her a half-smile. “You look… lighter. Happier.”

She came down the stairs slowly, her smile stretched too wide to be real. Her fingers traced the glittering necklace resting on her collarbone like it held all the confidence in the world.

“Honestly, who wouldn’t be happy?” she said, her voice sugar-coated and sharp at the same time. “I’ve got a man who would move mountains just to make me smile. He spoils me rotten. As for you... I don’t need to fake anything. Whatever little stunt you pulled earlier? Smoke and mirrors. You're broke, and everyone knows it. Real happiness doesn’t need a loudspeaker.”

I let out a quiet laugh, not because she was funny—far from it—but because the desperation beneath her words was almost sad.

Then she lifted the necklace like it was a crown. “This?” she said, tilting her chin proudly. “An Averaux Crown diamond—one of only three ever made. My husband gave it to me. Fifteen million dollars around my neck, and I don’t even break a sweat.”

“Oh, this necklace?” I asked, raising a brow. “If you’re referring to this exact one, then the other two ‘exclusive’ owners must be my dogs—Chanel and Nova.”

Her smile faltered instantly. Her lashes fluttered like she was trying to blink away the embarrassment.

I glanced at Cyrus, then turned to her again. “Chanel and Nova would be so pleased to know they’re matching with you. Thanks for twinning with my dogs.”

A playful smirk tugged at my lips. Perfect hit.

Caught off guard, she blinked as I raised my phone and snapped a picture. “This moment deserves a portrait,” I said, a playful smile tugging at my lips.

Cyrus leaned closer and gave my hand a gentle squeeze, trying hard not to laugh. “We should really go now,” he murmured.

Right then, the car doors clicked open, and out came my boys—Kyle, Killian, and Kairo. Kyle, always the chatterbox, rubbed his belly with exaggerated drama. “Mom, Dad, can we please leave now? I’m starving over here.”

Before he could finish whining, Killian nudged him with his elbow, subtly lowering his voice. “Hey, isn’t that the guy we saw earlier?”

Logan stared at the boys like he'd seen ghosts, his gaze flicking between them and me, mouth slightly agape. “They’re yours?” he finally asked, voice barely above a whisper.

I gave a small nod, watching the disbelief settle on his face like a heavy fog.

“They’re our little miracle,” I said softly. “Triplets, blessed by the moon goddess herself. And they have a father who’d move mountains for them without blinking.”

His eyes fluttered as if he was trying to wake himself from a dream, then locked onto me again with a stunned expression. “Wait… Cyrus is their dad?”

Cyrus stepped in, calm but firm. “Yes. Is that going to be a problem?” He tilted his head slightly, a smirk tugging at his lips. “Because judging by the look on your face, it seems like you  already met.”

Kairo, who shared the same striking green eyes as mine, furrowed his brows—though I could tell he was only pretending to be serious—as he turned toward Cyrus.

“Dad, we didn’t mean to listen in or anything,” he started, glancing quickly at me. “But Killian and Kyle noticed something… They pointed out the necklace that woman isbwearing. Said it looks exactly like the dog’s collar back at home.”

The moment the words landed, Natalie’s eyes stretched wide, and then she exploded.

“What the heck?! What do you mean?!!”

Without waiting for the fallout, the boys bolted toward the car, each tossing a quick apology in Logan’s direction. Cyrus and I didn’t waste time either, we slipped into our car, slammed the doors shut, and took off like the wind.

***************

Logan’s P.O.V

“Those kids…” The words barely left my lips before Natalie snapped.

“For the love of the moon goddess, can we not do this again?” she said, tossing her iPad onto the couch with a loud thud. “You keep obsessing over those children when your entire world is on fire.”

I stayed silent, though my jaw tightened.

She paced the room, her heels clicking with every furious step. “Everyone’s talking, Logan—blogs, gossip pages, social media. We’re the laughingstock of the city. You stood in front of international investors and made promises. You said you’d secure that land, and now what? They’re pulling out unless we deliver.”

Her words were like sharp ice, but I was already drowning in a different storm—Cyrus, Anna, and those kids that I couldn’t stop thinking about.

Something about them stirred something in me—something I hadn’t felt in years. Familiarity. Connection. Almost… belonging.

“Can’t you see it?” I turned to face her, barely holding myself together. “Don’t they remind you of someone? Look at me—don’t you see any resemblance with the triplets?”

Anna scoffed, arms folded tight across her chest like a shield. “Seriously? That’s what you’re stuck on? I’m out here trending for the wrong reasons because I wore the same pendant as a dog—a dog, Logan. And you’re worried about a few kids who probably aren’t even yours.”

Her voice climbed with every word. “I told everyone you'd crush the auction. I boasted about it. And now the only thing people are talking about is how I match pets.”

“All because of Cyrus and Anna…” I muttered, more to myself than to her. That family—always in the way, always ahead, always untouchable.

It hit me then, like a puzzle clicking into place. Cyrus’s thriving company, the perfect rogue family image… it wasn’t luck. It never was.

Natalie clicked her tongue and shook her head. “There’s no resemblance. You’re seeing ghosts. And why, in the name of everything, would you buy me a pendant that dogs are wearing too?”

I clenched my fists. “How was I supposed to know you're fashion-twinning with dogs now?”

She gasped, dramatic as ever. “Twinning? Could you be any more crass?”

Without another word, she yanked the necklace from her neck and flung it out the window. I watched it sail into the night like it was nothing.

My heart dropped. “Natalie, do you have any idea how much that cost?”

She didn’t answer. Just turned her back and crossed her arms again, like I was the one who threw everything away.

"Does it even matter?" she snapped.

"What matters is that I ended up wearing the same outfit as a damn dog, and now the media can’t stop buzzing about it. I hyped you up to my followers—told them you’d own that auction. Now we’re the laughingstock of everyone’s feed.”

“All because of Cyrus and Anna…”

A sharp heat burned behind my eyes. That name—those names—pounded against my skull, and slowly, something started to click.

I used to wonder. Obsess, even. Why Logan's empire kept soaring while mine barely stayed afloat. Why his corrupt little dynasty never crumbled, even after news of his death. And now, it made terrifying sense—he had never died.

He was out there, alive. Watching. Waiting.

No wonder I could never get ahead of him, no matter how hard I pushed. I wasn’t fighting a ghost. I was shadowboxing a man who knew how to disappear.

And then there was Anna.

Back then, she had nothing—barely surviving, scraping by. Now? She moved like wealth wrapped in silk. Polished. Composed. Unrecognizable. She wasn’t the same woman I remembered. And if she had married him... if Anna was now Cyrus’s wife…

That wasn’t just a coincidence.

It was a declaration of war.

They didn’t just fall in love. They aligned. Strategically. Purposefully. And their union? It wasn’t romantic—it was personal.

It was about me.

Everything they did was leading to this. To crush me.