003

RIBIRTH

LUNA

(Five years later)

The conference room was already full when I walked in. Exactly 8:47 AM. Thirteen minutes before the scheduled meeting time.

I was never late. And I expected the same from everyone else.

My Louboutins clicked against the marble floor as I moved to the head of the table, my custom-tailored black suit fitting like a second skin. My long black hair—no longer the mousy brown it had been—was pulled back in a sleek ponytail. No dorky glasses. No shapeless clothes. No apologizing for taking up space.

I was a weapon now. Sharp. Precise. Deadly.

"Good morning." My voice cut through the low murmur of conversation. Everyone immediately fell silent, sitting up straighter in their seats.

This was the effect I had now. Luna Ashford. CEO of Phantom Industries. The youngest self-made billionaire in tech. The woman who had revolutionized cybersecurity and made a fortune doing it.

I didn't ask for respect. I commanded it. My eyes swept across the room, counting. Twelve executives. Four lawyers. Three investors. All present and accounted for.

Except one.

The chair at the opposite end of the table—the seat reserved for our potential partner—was empty.

My jaw tightened.

"Where is Mr. Craven?" I asked, my voice dropping to a dangerous level.

Maya, my assistant, stood near the door, her tablet clutched to her chest. "He... he said he'd be here by nine, Ms. Ashford."

"The meeting starts at nine," I said coldly. "Which means he should be here now. Early. Like everyone else."

"Yes, ma'am, but Mr. Craven is... well, he's—"

"I don't care who he is." I set my leather portfolio on the table with a sharp snap. "If he can't respect my time, then this partnership is over before it begins."

The investors shifted uncomfortably. One of them, a silver-haired man named Harrison, cleared his throat. "Ms. Ashford, perhaps we should wait. Draven Craven is... he's not someone you want to offend. He controls half the underground networks in the world. His connections, his power—"

"Are irrelevant if he can't show up on time," I finished.

Harrison paled. "But Ms. Ashford—"

"I've built my empire on discipline and precision. I don't make exceptions. Not for anyone."

The room fell into tense silence. That's when I felt it. A shift in the air. A pressure that made every hair on my body stand on end. The temperature seemed to drop several degrees.

My wolf—weak and damaged as she was from the silver bullet—suddenly stirred for the first time in five years. She perked up, alert, her attention fixed on the door.

No.

No, no, no.

The conference room doors opened. And he walked in.

Draven Craven.

Six-foot-four of pure, lethal power. His black suit was immaculate, tailored to perfection over a body that looked like it had been carved from stone. Dark hair, perfectly styled. Sharp jawline. And eyes—cold, calculating, ruthless—that swept across the room like a predator assessing prey.

Everyone went utterly still. Even Harrison, who had been speaking moments ago, looked like he'd swallowed his tongue.

This was a man who killed without hesitation. Who controlled the underworld with an iron fist. Who had built an empire on fear and blood.

No one spoke when Draven Craven entered a room.

No one dared.

He took one step inside, and then—It hit me.

The mate bond.

It slammed into my chest like a freight train, stealing the breath from my lungs. The connection snapped into place with a force that nearly brought me to my knees. Every cell in my body suddenly came alive, reaching for him, recognizing him, claiming him.

Mine.

My wolf howled the word, desperate and hungry after years of silence.

No.

Not again.

Not ever again. I gripped the edge of the table, my knuckles turning white. My breathing stayed controlled through sheer force of will, even as my entire body screamed at me to go to him. To accept the bond. To surrender.

I would rather die.

Draven's eyes locked onto mine. I saw the exact moment the bond hit him too. His pupils dilated. His jaw clenched. His entire body went rigid.

For a heartbeat, neither of us moved.

The room was so silent I could hear my own heartbeat thundering in my ears.

Then I straightened, forcing every muscle in my body to obey me. I pushed the bond down, down, down until it was a distant ache I could ignore. My face remained cold. Expressionless. Controlled.

"Mr. Craven," I said, my voice cutting through the tension like a blade. "You're late."

Another collective gasp from the room. Harrison looked like he might faint.

"And I don't tolerate lateness," I continued, meeting Draven's gaze without flinching.

The silence that followed was deafening. No one spoke to Draven Craven like that. No one challenged him. No one dared. People who disrespected Draven Craven tended to disappear.

I watched as something flickered across his face. Surprise? Intrigue? It was gone too quickly to tell.

Then, slowly, his lips curved into a smirk.

It was predatory. Dangerous. Amused.

"Feisty," he said, his voice deep and rough, like gravel and sin. He walked toward the empty chair, every movement deliberate and controlled. "This is going to be fun."

He pulled out the chair and sat down, leaning back with an arrogance that said he owned the room. His eyes never left mine. The mate bond pulsed between us, thick and suffocating.

I ignored it.

"This is a business meeting, Mr. Craven," I said coolly, sitting down in my own chair. "Not a game. If you're not interested in treating it as such, the door is behind you."

Another sharp intake of breath from someone at the table. Draven's smirk widened. "I'm very interested, Ms. Ashford. Please, continue. I'm all ears."

The way he said my name—like a caress and a threat all at once—sent an unwanted shiver down my spine.

I refused to acknowledge it.

"Maya," I said, not taking my eyes off Draven. "Distribute the folders."

Maya moved quickly, handing out the sleek black folders to everyone at the table. When she placed one in front of Draven, her hand trembled slightly.

"Phantom Industries has developed a new encryption algorithm," I began, my voice steady and professional. "One that is virtually unhackable. We're offering exclusive licensing rights to a select number of partners. The terms are outlined in your folders."

"Virtually unhackable," Draven repeated, flipping open his folder with one hand. "That's a bold claim."

"It's a fact."

"Is it?" He looked up at me, his dark eyes glinting with challenge. "I know several hackers who would disagree."

"Name one."

"Shadow_Cipher."

The name hit me like a slap. No one in this room knew that name except him. No one should have been able to connect Shadow_Cipher to Luna Ashford.

But Draven Craven knew.

Of course he did.

"Shadow_Cipher is a ghost story," I said evenly, even as my pulse quickened. "A legend criminals tell themselves to feel important."

"Is that so?" Draven leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "Strange. I've seen their work firsthand. They breached my systems three years ago. Stole some very sensitive information. Very few people can do that."

"Then perhaps your security is lacking, Mr. Craven."

His smirk turned into something darker. More dangerous.

"Perhaps," he said softly. "Or perhaps Shadow_Cipher is just that good."

The mate bond thrummed between us, growing stronger with every passing second. I could feel it trying to pull me toward him, trying to break down the walls I'd spent five years building.

I shoved it back with brutal force.

"Regardless," I said, turning my attention to the rest of the table. "The encryption is sound. We've tested it against every known hacking method. It's secure."

"I'd like to test it myself," Draven said.

"That's not part of the agreement."

"Then make it part of the agreement." His eyes locked onto mine again, and I felt the full weight of his Alpha presence pressing down on me. Most wolves would have bowed their heads by now. Would have submitted.

I held his gaze.

"You want to test my security?" I asked quietly.

"Yes."

"Fine." I stood up, bracing my hands on the table. "But when you fail—and you will fail—you'll sign the contract. No negotiations. No changes. My terms. Final."

Draven stood as well, mirroring my position. We faced each other across the table like two predators circling each other.

"And when I succeed?" he asked.

"You won't."

"But if I do?"

I smiled, cold and sharp. "Then I'll personally install the system in your organization for free. And I'll give you a discount on all future services."

"Deal."

The word hung in the air between us.

"Meeting adjourned," I said, grabbing my portfolio. "You have forty-eight hours to attempt the breach, Mr. Craven. After that, we sign the contract."

I turned and walked toward the door, every instinct screaming at me to get away from him. Away from the bond. Away from the danger he represented.

"Ms. Ashford," Draven's voice stopped me at the door.

I looked back.

He was still standing at the table, his hands in his pockets, his expression unreadable.

"I don't fail," he said simply.

"Neither do I," I replied.

Then I walked out, my heels clicking with deadly precision.

The moment the door closed behind me, I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding.

Maya rushed up to me, her face pale. "Ms. Ashford, are you insane? No one talks to Draven Craven like that! He's killed people for less!"

"Let him try," I said coldly.

But my hands were shaking. Because I could still feel it. The mate bond. Pulling at me. Calling to me. And for the first time in five years, my wolf was awake.

Begging me to go back.

To accept him.

To give in. I clenched my fists until my nails bit into my palms.

No.

I had walked away from one mate who destroyed me. I would not let another one get close enough to do the same. Even if it killed me. But first, it was time to teach my ex a lesson.