LOGINThe alarms screamed through the halls like a warning from hell itself.
I bolted upright in the massive bed, heart hammering against my ribs as heavy footsteps thundered down the corridor. My skin felt too tight, too hot, like something inside me had cracked open and spilled out into the air. The new scent. It had been building for days, sweet and heavy, pulling eyes and now apparently pulling trouble straight to our doorstep."Stay inside," Kai barked from somewhere downThe dragon's scales cracked like thunder splitting a tree, and suddenly a man stood where the beast had been, eyes locked on mine with zero warning.I froze mid-step on the beach, tools still in hand from patching the yacht. Avery spun beside me, half-shifted with claws out. The crew scattered behind us, shouting questions, but this guy just raised his hands slow, like he knew one wrong move meant death."Easy," he said, voice smooth but edged with exhaustion. "No more fire. No more fighting. I am Prince Kenji of the Eastern Empire. That test is over.""Test?" Avery growled, stepping forward. "You nearly roasted us all yesterday. Call that a test? Start talking before I finish what I started on your wing."Kenji nodded, brushing sand from his dark hair. He looked young, maybe late twenties, with sharp features and tattoos that glowed faint gold on his bare arms. No clothes after the shift, but he didn't seem to care. "Fair point, S
The stars exploded into view the second we hit that hidden clearing, but nothing prepared me for the way Avery looked at me under them."Damien, you seeing this?" she whispered, her voice low and rough from the day's chaos. The hot spring bubbled softly ahead, steam curling up like an invitation we couldn't ignore. Our boat sat half wrecked on the beach, crew already patching what they could, but right now it was just us slipping away."Yeah, I see it," I said, stepping closer. The water glowed soft blue from some underwater glow, lighting her face. "After that dragon mess, this feels like the island's way of saying sorry."She laughed, short and real. "Sorry? More like a trap. Look at us, stranded here. You think the crew will miss us?""Marco's got them busy with the hull. They'll be fine for a couple of hours." I kicked off my shoes, toes sinking into warm sand. "You gonna stand there all night or join me?"Avery pe
The sky ripped open with a roar that shook the yacht to its bones. Flames poured down like molten rain, and I knew in that split second we were all dead if we didn't move."Dragon!" I screamed, grabbing the railing as the deck ignited in a whoosh of heat. "Avery, get down!"She didn't listen. She never did. Her eyes locked on the massive crimson shape circling above, wings beating like thunder. The beast was huge, scales gleaming blood-red under the sun, its jaws wide and spitting another burst of fire straight at the stern."Stay back, all of you!" Avery shouted over the crackle of burning wood. Crew members scattered, coughing through the smoke. One guy, Marco, tripped near the flames. "I got this!""You got this? That's a freaking dragon!" I yelled, heart hammering as I yanked Marco clear. The heat singed my eyebrows. "We need to dive, swim for it!"Avery spun toward me, her face fierce. "No time for swimming. This
The sea spray hit my face like a challenge as our luxury yacht cut through the waves, leaving the shore and Jax's watchful eye behind, but something in the air already felt off."Damien, this yacht is perfect," Avery said, leaning against the rail beside me, her hair whipping in the wind. "Luxury on the water while we chase that map. Ezra, you sure the engines will hold for the crossing?"Ezra adjusted a panel nearby, tools in hand. "Engines are solid. I checked every inch before we left. Jax has home locked down tight. Sovereign, you feeling the pull already?"I wrapped an arm around Avery's waist, pulling her closer. "Pull is strong. But right now I am focused on us. Avery, that hair from your mother. It has us moving fast. Tell me again what you sense out here."She smiled up at me, hand on my chest. "Sense her stronger over water. Damien, this romance on the waves is what we needed after the crown. Ezra, you mind giving us a mi
The victory cheers still echoed through the hall when a silent messenger in dark robes pressed a sealed black envelope into Avery's hand, and the party froze around us like ice cracking underfoot. Avery's fingers tightened on the paper, her face shifting from triumph to stone in a heartbeat. "Damien, this just came. No sender. Feels wrong." I leaned in close, the crown heavy on my brow. "Open it quick. Jax, Ezra, eyes sharp. Who delivered that?" Jax moved first, blocking the crowd with his shoulder. "Some hooded type. Slipped away before I could grab him. Avery, what is it?" She tore the seal, pulling out a single lock of silver hair tied with red thread and a folded map. Her breath caught. "This hair. It is hers. Lila's. My mother's. I would know it anywhere." Ezra stepped nearer, his one good eye narrowing. "Let me see the map. Eastern Dragon Empire marked clear. Routes through forbidden passes. Damien, this screams
The chandeliers blazed like captured stars above the packed hall, and every eye turned to me as the weight of a thousand howls settled on my shoulders."Damien, this is it," Avery whispered from her seat on the double throne, her hand brushing mine. "They are all watching. Say something that binds them."I stood slowly, the heavy crown hovering in the elder's hands. "Packs of the united front, hear me. The old divisions die tonight. High Elders gone, syndicate scattered. We stand as one, or we fall separate. Who pledges to the new order?"A roar surged from the floor. Jax stepped forward first, chest out, uniform crisp. "I pledge, Sovereign. My blades are yours. Avery's commanders stay loyal. No more lone wolves."Ezra nodded beside him, his one good eye scanning the crowd. "Same here. Tech and muscle, both yours. We disarmed hell together. This crown fits you, Damien. But it needs her beside it."Avery smiled, leaning
The growl of an engine in the distance was my only warning as Jax’s hand clamped down on my shoulder at the mansion gates.I spun around, heart hammering against my ribs, the midnight air cool and sharp on my skin. The wrought iron bars loomed behind me like prison bars I w
The library door slammed shut behind me with a finality that made my blood run cold.I spun around to find Ezra blocking the only exit, his tall frame cutting off any escape. His eyes locked on mine with that sharp intensity he always carried, like he could see straight through skin an
The floorboard creaked under my foot like it had been waiting years to give up its secret.I froze in my mother's empty bedroom, dust motes swirling in the thin shaft of light from the shuttered window. The estate was still locked down tight after last night's chaos, but I could not si
Sweat stung my eyes as Jax slammed me into the training mat for the fifth time, his voice cutting through the air like a whip."Get up, Avery. Again. You’re moving like you’re still at that gala sipping champagne."I pushed myself off the floor, lungs burni







