LOGINTwo hours later, my phone buzzed with a text from Maxim. I slipped into the black heels, grabbed the handbag, and walked downstairs.Maxim waited by his sports car in the circular driveway. When I stepped out the front doors, his blue eyes widened slightly. A genuine, impressed smile crossed his face as he took in the black dress."You look amazing, Luna," Maxim said, opening the passenger door for me."Thank you," I murmured, sliding into the leather seat.We drove into the city as the sun finally set. When we arrived at Neon, Maxim guided us straight to the front of a long line. The moment we stepped through the doors, a wave of heavy bass vibrated straight through my boots. Flashing blue and purple lights swept over a massive, crowded dance floor.I stayed close to Maxim's shoulder as he navigated us through the sea of moving bodies toward a raised VIP booth, where Anya, Mila, and Lev were already sitting."Luna!" Anya shouted over the deafening music, pulling me into a tight hug.
LUNA POVThe midday sun warmed the university courtyard, casting long shadows across the grass. I sat cross-legged with my notebook resting on my lap, quietly listening to Lev and Maxim argue over the ending of a movie they watched the night before.Anya suddenly clapped her hands together, demanding our attention."Alright, enough about the movie," she announced, a bright, excited smile taking over her face. "Tonight is the night. My birthday. I booked a booth at Neon, so I expect all of you to be dressed up and ready by nine."Mila nodded, taking a slow sip of her coffee. "I already picked out my outfit."Anya turned her bright eyes toward me. "Luna? You are coming, right?"I paused, my pen hovering over the paper. The mere thought of stepping into a crowded, loud nightclub sent a spike of anxiety through my chest. My life existed behind locked iron gates, quiet estates, and formal mafia galas. I never actually set foot inside a real nightclub before."I think I will just go home af
I did not know how long we stood in the rain. The cold drops soaked my hair and dripped down my coat, but I stayed buried against his chest, anchored by his solid warmth. Slowly, my breathing steadied. I took a shaky breath and stepped back. The cold air rushed into the space between us. Killian let his arms fall to his sides. Before either of us spoke, a dark figure approached through the gray mist. It was one of Killian’s guards. The man walked up quietly, holding a dozen fresh white roses. I looked at the man, my brow furrowing in confusion. Killian reached out and took four roses from the guard's hands. He gave a single nod, and the man stepped back. He took a few steps past my mother’s resting place. I followed him. Right there, resting in the same quiet section of grass, were four more marble headstones arranged in a neat row. I stepped up beside him and looked down at the names carved into the smooth stone. Nikolai Alatorre. Svetlana Alatorre. Damon Alatorre.
My mother.The shock hit me so hard my mind just blanked. After Dario beat her to death in front of me, I never saw her again. I didn't even get to see her body when I woke up in the hospital. I begged Dario to let me see her, just to know where she rested. He slapped me. I got beaten so many times I forgot to count, just for asking to see my own mother's grave. He never told me. For fourteen years, she was lost in the dark.And now, she was right here.My vision blurred. My hands started to tremble as I looked up at Killian. The question screamed in my eyes—How?—but my mouth refused to open.Killian read my face. He kept his distance, his voice low and steady."I got her location from Dario," Killian said quietly. "She was in an unmarked grave near Palermo. I ordered my men to bring her here, so you could visit her."He stepped forward, gently laying the bouquet of white lilies at the base of the marble headstone. Then, he immediately took two steps back, keeping his head bowed to gi
LUNA POVOne month later.I stood in front of my bedroom mirror, smoothing the fabric of my dark gray coat. I didn't know where I was going today. Marco knocked on my door thirty minutes ago, telling me only that the Pakhan asked me to get dressed.Things shifted over the last month.Killian kept his promise. He stopped going to the underground pits, and he stopped walking into the house with split knuckles and a bruised face. But in doing so, he retreated into the shadows. He watched my life from a distance, making sure I remained safe without ever interfering. He was just waiting.My life outside the estate, however, started to feel real.The nightmares that used to suffocate me faded. My sessions with Dr. Aris helped untangle the heavy knot of fear in my chest. At the university, Maxim, Anya, Lev, and Mila became a genuine part of my daily routine. I ate lunch with them, laughed at their terrible jokes, and talked about things that involved no syndicates or violence.But every time
Killian stood by the glass window until the silver sports car completely vanished past the heavy iron gates.His left shoulder burned with a dull, throbbing ache beneath the fresh bandages, but his face remained a mask of stone. For Luna, he would bleed. For her, he would strip himself bare, drop to his knees, and let her tear him apart. He would take every ounce of her hatred and accept it as his penance.But for the rest of the world, he was still the Pakhan. He was the apex predator of the Bratva, and he did not show weakness.He turned away from the window. Marco waited quietly in the hallway just outside the bedroom door."Did you run the background checks?" Killian asked, his voice freezing the air in the corridor.Marco gave a sharp nod. "Yes, Boss. The two girls and the other boy are clean. They are normal university students with no syndicate ties."Killian walked out into the hall, his bare feet silent against the hardwood floor. "And the driver?"Marco followed a step behin
I was already on my knees. What more did he want?I pressed my palms together, the one still pinned under his boot scraping against concrete. I bowed my head low until my forehead nearly touched the floor.He laughed again and finally lifted his foot.I grabbed the bread before he could change his m
Not squeezing. Not choking. Just holding. Claiming. His palm was warm and rough against my skin, callused from years of holding weapons. His thumb found my pulse point and pressed down, not hard enough to hurt but firm enough that I could feel him counting the frantic hammering of my heart."Does it
Payment. For what? What crime? What debt?Carmina moved closer with careful, deliberate steps. She stopped a few feet away and studied me with pure, unadulterated loathing in her eyes."She is small," Carmina spat, her lip curling in disgust. "Vitiello filth."She looked back at Killian, waiting for
The darkness had a taste. Wet stone and rust and the copper tang of my own blood drying in sticky trails down my arms. I hung from the wall with my knees barely touching the cold floor, my wrists screaming where the iron cuffs had bitten through skin hours ago. Days ago. I couldn't tell anymore. Tim







