Chapter 6: Five Years Later

New York City. The city that never sleeps was alive with the sound of honking taxis and the rush of millions chasing their dreams.

In the heart of Manhattan, on the top floor of the glitziest skyscraper, a pair of red-bottomed stilettos clicked rhythmically against the marble floor.

Click. Click. Click.

The sound was sharp, authoritative, and terrifying to the employees of Phoenix Designs.

“No. No. And... absolutely not.”

I tossed the sketches onto the glass conference table, my voice cool and detached.

“But Ms. Phoenix,” a junior designer stammered, sweating profusely. “This is the trend for the upcoming season. Ruffles are in—”

“Ruffles are for poodles,” I cut him off, raising an eyebrow. “My clients are powerful women. Lunas, CEOs, politicians. They don't want to look like cupcakes. They want to look like they can conquer the world.”

I stood up, smoothing down my tailored crimson suit. It fit my curves perfectly, emphasizing a figure that was no longer thin and frail, but strong and womanly. My hair, once dull and messy, was now a glossy waterfall of chestnut waves. My face was flawless, highlighted by sharp eyeliner and bold red lips.

---

Five years.

It had been five years since I jumped off that cliff into the Black River. Most people thought Aria of the Moon Pack died that night. In a way, she did.

The weak, pleading girl who begged for love was gone. In her place rose Phoenix.

I had survived the fall. I had washed up miles downstream, half-dead and broken. But I didn’t die. I clawed my way back for the sake of my child. I changed my name, hid my scent with potent herbs, and built an empire from nothing.

Now, I was the most sought-after designer in the supernatural world. My brand, Rebirth, was worn by royalty.

“Meeting adjourned,” I announced to the terrified room. “Bring me something that doesn't make my eyes bleed by tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, Ms. Phoenix!” The staff scrambled out like frightened rabbits.

---

“You were a bit harsh on them, Mommy.”

A small, childish voice came from the large leather sofa in the corner. I smiled, the ice in my eyes melting instantly. “Leo, come here.”

A little boy hopped off the couch. He was four years old, going on forty, wearing a miniature designer suit and a tiny bow tie.

Leo. My son. My life.

He was the spitting image of Kael. The same messy black hair. The same sharp jawline. And those eyes... those piercing, icy blue eyes were a replica of the man who had destroyed me.

But Leo had my spirit. And he was brilliant.

“The firewall on the Pentagon's public server was boring,” Leo yawned, tapping his tablet. “So I optimized your company's stock portfolio instead. You made an extra fifty thousand dollars in the last ten minutes. You’re welcome.”

I chuckled, picking him up. “Thanks, my little genius. What would I do without you?”

“Probably go broke buying shoes,” Leo quipped, looking pointedly at my Louboutins.

---

A knock at the door broke the moment. My assistant, Maya, walked in, looking pale.

“Ms. Phoenix... we have a problem. A new client request. It’s the biggest contract we’ve ever received, but...” She hesitated, placing a file on my desk. “They are from the North. And the client insisted on you personally.”

My hand froze. The North. My old home.

“Which pack?” I asked, my voice dropping an octave.

Maya didn't answer. She just pointed at the signature line on the last page. I looked down. The paper was expensive vellum, but the bold, aggressive signature seemed to burn into my retinas:

Client: The Moon Pack. Representative: Alpha Kael Blackwood.

The world seemed to stop. Kael.

He wanted a wardrobe for his lineage. And for his Luna. For Serena.

A cold, dark fury ignited in my stomach. He wanted me to design clothes for the woman who tried to kill my son?

“Mommy?” Leo tugged on my skirt, reading the name upside down. “Kael Blackwood... That’s the Alpha from the doghouse, right? The bad dog who made you cry?”

I looked at my son. I had never told him Kael was his father, but he knew I hated that place.

“Yes, Leo,” I said softly.

Leo's face darkened, looking like a tiny, angry Alpha. “Are we going back to that doghouse? That Alpha is a bad dog.”

I looked at the contract. My first instinct was to burn it. To run. But I remembered Serena’s sneer and Kael’s cold rejection.

I wasn't Aria anymore. Phoenix didn’t run. Phoenix burned.

“Maya,” I said, my voice steady and dangerous. “Accept the contract. Tell Alpha Kael that Phoenix is coming.”

I picked up my gold fountain pen and signed the vellum with a flourish.

Phoenix.

I looked at Leo, who was grinning wickedly.

“Pack your bags, baby,” I said, stroking his hair. “We are going home. And we are going to turn that doghouse upside down.”