LOGINJack Miller's throat worked as he swallowed, sweat slicking his skin beneath the weight of the Alpha's gaze. With trembling hands, he shoved Marco forward, as though offering up a sacrificial lamb in the desperate hope it might spare his own life."H-he's the one who fired," Jack stammered, his voice cracking under the pressure. "He panicked. He made the mistake. Please, Alpha Wayne—punish him as you see fit. Spare the rest of us."There was a pause—heavy, suffocating."In our world," Gabriel snarled coldly from Caden's side, lifting his weapon and pressing it deliberately against Jack's temple, "there is only one sentence for attempting to kill a supremo."Caden Wayne stood unmoving at the center of the ruined room, a figure carved from blood and shadow. His right shoulder bled freely, crimson soaking through the white fabric of his shirt, the stain spreading like a dark moonrise across his chest. He held his rifle in his left hand with lethal steadiness, despite the pain clawing thr
Caden's POVPain dragged me back into my body like claws scraping bone.It wasn't gentle. It wasn't kind. It came with a pounding ache behind my eyes and a sickening dizziness that made the world twist the moment I forced my eyelids open. The sharp scent of antiseptic burned my nose, overwhelming my senses, while an infuriating chorus of beeps and mechanical hums echoed around me, each sound drilling deeper into my skull.Hospital.The realization made my lip curl instinctively.White walls boxed me in like a cage, too clean, too sterile, stripped of all life. Wires and tubes snaked across my body, invasive and humiliating, feeding me medicine as if I were weak prey instead of an alpha wolf. To my side, figures in pale coats whispered among themselves, their voices hushed, cautious—and fearful.Syrus stood among them.That alone irritated me."Where the hell am I?" I rasped, my voice rough, scraped raw from blood loss and rage.Before anyone could answer, instinct took over.I ripped
Adele's POVThe men who had surrounded us faltered first—not by choice, but by mere instinct.I felt it before I saw it, that sudden shift in the air, the way predators react when a stronger Alpha enters their territory.Their bodies stiffened immediately, shoulders drawing back, feet retreating half a step as though some ancient command had rippled through their blood, whispering danger in a language older than reason itself.But fear, when wrapped in arrogance, is quick to mask itself.The largest of them—a towering brute with a thick scar splitting his brow and the stink of gun oil and aggression clinging to him like second skin—snarled loudly, forcing bravado into his voice."Which lunatic has a death wish big enough to walk into Lucian Valore's territory and make threats?"They turned as one.So did I.For a heartbeat, I thought my mind had finally fractured under terror—that the night had conjured him out of memory and dread—but then I felt it, unmistakable and suffocating, the
Adele's POVI lifted the glass to my lips and let the liquid linger there for a moment longer than necessary, savoring the faint bitterness and heat as it slid down my throat, grounding me in the present while the club's music pulsed around us like a living thing, a rhythmic heartbeat that seemed to seep into my bones and stir something ancient beneath my skin."I'm already working on your apartment," I told Damien calmly, my voice steady despite the long week of continuous work etched into my muscles and the faint ache behind my eyes. "It won't take long before everything is finished."Across from me, Daniel—Duke of Monaco, feared ruler of his territory—slowly rotated the ice in his scotch, the amber liquid catching the dim lights as his gaze remained fixed on the glass, thoughtful and unhurried, as though time itself bent a little in his presence. "There is no rush," he replied evenly. "I strongly believe that perfection should never be hurried."A small smile curved my lips at his
Adele's POV"Miss Swann, you need to stop," Lea said gently, though the concern in her eyes sharpened the softness of her tone. She stood in the doorway of my office, arms crossed, watching me the way one watches a candle burn too close to its wick.The rest of the studio had long since emptied. The city outside was settling into night, but I was still hunched over my desk, stylus clenched between my fingers, eyes aching as glowing lines formed yet another impossible bedroom design on my screen."I can't," I murmured, barely lifting my gaze. I felt so tired, I could barely form coherent sentences. "If I don't finish this tonight, I won't be able to start on the mansion tomorrow."The mansion.Even thinking the word made my chest tighten.Two clients. Two hungry wolves circling from opposite ends of the world. Both powerful. Both dangerous in their own way. And both demanding me.Lea sighed dramatically and stepped inside. "You're going to run yourself into the ground, Fleur. You didn'
Caden POVThe sky above Paris was the color of bruised steel when I watched her let him go.From the back seat of my car, shadowed glass shielding me from the world, I saw Fleur Swann step out of the Porsche and embrace Raphael Dumas before he disappeared into the jaws of the airport. Her arms circled him with a familiarity that scraped against my ribs like claws on bone, and when she pulled away, there was no hesitation—only quiet acceptance.A soundless snarl curled in my chest.The wolf stirred, pacing beneath my skin, unsettled and furious, driven by instincts that had no patience for reason or restraint. Mate. Mine. The words echoed through my blood like a war drum, ancient and unforgiving."Follow her," I ordered softly.The driver didn't hesitate.I watched as Fleur returned to the car and drove away, her scent lingering even at this distance—warm, familiar, maddening. We followed her through the city streets until she disappeared into the underground parking of her office buil







