Penthouse

The penthouse suite at the top of the Ironclaw Citadel felt less like a home and more like a fortress.

Below, through  windows, the industrial valley stretched out like a glowing grid of steel, neon, and smoke. I stood in the middle of the immense marble bathroom, the steam from the waterfall shower still clinging to the cold mirrors.

On the granite counter lay the clothes Gideon’s personal attendants had brought me.

There was no wool, no canvas, and no mountain mud. In their place sat a gown of midnight blue silk, sleek and heavy, structured with subtle silver embroidery along the boning of the bodice.

 Beside it rested a pair of silver daggers sleek, tactical blades designed to be concealed in forearm sheaths lined with velvet.

They didn't just want me to look like a lady of the high court. They wanted me to look like a weapon.

I traced my fingers over the cold silk, my heart beating an erratic rhythm against my ribs. For three years, I had hidden behind dull colors and suppressant herbs, pretending to be nothing more than a ghost in the woods.

Dressing like this, stepping into the light of the high families, meant burning my sanctuary to the ground.

There is no going back, I told myself, gripping the edge of the marble sink. If you run now, they will hunt you forever.

I put on the dress.

The silk fit like a second skin, cold at first, then warming against my flesh. It hugged my waist, falling straight to the floor with a high slit up the left thigh that allowed for quick movement. I strapped the hidden blade sheaths to my forearms, slipping the silver daggers into place before pulling the long, tapered silk sleeves over them.

When I looked in the mirror, my breath caught.

My dark hair was swept up into an intricate braid bound with silver thread. My golden eyes, no longer dulled by silver root tea, burned bright and clear against my pale skin. I didn't look like a rogue anymore. I looked like the blood of the Royal Lineage.

The heavy double doors of the suite clicked open.

I stepped out of the bathroom into the private lounge. Gideon was waiting near the glass wall, looking out over the city.

He had changed into a tailored three piece suit of charcoal wool, immaculate and sharp enough to bleed on. The white bandage beneath his dark shirt was hidden, his posture straight, imposing, and absolute.

As my heels clicked against the marble, Gideon turned around.

The moment his amber eyes hit me, he froze.

The cold mask of the corporate commander slipped entirely. His gaze swept down the dark silk of my dress, lingering on the exposed skin of my throat, before snapping back to my eyes. His jaw clenched tight, his broad chest rising as he drew a sharp, deep breath through his nose.

Through the bond, a wave of pure, heavy heat surged between us intense, possessive, and thick with dark desire.

"Lyra," Gideon rasped. His voice was a low growl that vibrated straight to the marrow of my bones.

"Does it pass inspection, Commander?" I asked, keeping my chin high, though my pulse accelerated beneath his intense stare.

Gideon walked toward me, his heavy boots sounding like a slow countdown on the marble. He didn't stop until he was standing directly in front of me, his tall frame blocking out the light from the city below. He reached out, his bare fingers brushing against the bare skin of my shoulder, right above the silk neckline.

Where his skin touched mine, invisible sparks ignited. My breath hitched, my hands instinctively resting against the lapels of his dark suit jacket.

"You look breathtaking," Gideon whispered, his thumb tracing the sharp line of my collarbone. His golden eyes flared with a primal light. "My father's board will be terrified."

"Good," I said softly, looking up into his eyes. "Because I intend to give them a reason to be."

Gideon smiled, a curve of his lips that made my stomach flip. He held out his arm to me. "The board meeting began ten minutes ago. It's time to interrupt my father's eulogy."

I took his arm, slipping my hand into the crook of his elbow. The warmth of his body radiated through the fine fabric, a steady anchor in the storm we were about to walk into.

We took the private executive elevator down thirty floors. The silence inside the glass cab was heavy, charged with the unspoken tension of the bond and the imminent violent confrontation awaiting us below.

When the elevator doors slid open, two armed guards outside the grand mahogany boardroom doors immediately snapped to attention. Upon recognizing Gideon, their faces turned ghostly pale.

"C-Commander Sterling" the guard stuttered, his hand hovering near his sidearm. "You... your father reported you lost at the border…"

"Stand aside," Gideon commanded, his voice dropping into that terrifying Alpha register that left no room for debate.

The guard swallowed hard, stepping back instantly and pressing his palm against the biometric lock.

The massive double doors unlatched with a heavy mechanical click.

Inside the grand council chamber, thirty high-ranking pack executives, clan elders, and corporate board members were seated around a colossal table made of polished black granite. At the head of the table stood Alpha Marcus

Sterling,Gideon's father.

Marcus was an older version of Gideon, broad shouldered with silvering dark hair and cold, ruthless grey eyes. He was holding a glass of amber whiskey, mid-sentence, his voice booming through the speakers:

"...and so, in the tragic absence of my son, I am assuming direct command of the tactical border forces to launch a full-scale offensive against…"

Gideon pushed the heavy doors open, the wood slamming against the stone walls with a deafening sound.

The entire room fell into silence.

Thirty heads snapped toward the entrance. Whispers erupted instantly like a swarm of angry hornets as the board members recognized the heir they thought was dead.

"Gideon?" Alpha Marcus breathed, dropping his glass. The whiskey shattered on the marble floor, but the old Alpha didn't look down. His grey eyes were fixed on his son and then, slowly, shifted to me.

Gideon walked into the room with slow, deliberate authority, his arm firmly entwined with mine. Every eye in the room followed us, taking in my midnight blue silk, my golden eyes, and the unmistakable, dominating presence of the two of us walking side by side.

"You're late for your speech, Father," Gideon said smoothly, his voice echoing off the high ceilings. "Though I see you didn't waste any time writing my obituary."

Marcus adjusted his dark cuffs, his face hardening into a mask of cold fury as he forced a tight, artificial smile. "Gideon. You survive a Silverfang ambush, and yet you walk in here unannounced. You should be in the medical bay."

"I am fine," Gideon said, stopping ten feet from the head of the table. He didn't let go of my arm. "And I brought the reason I survived."

An old clan elder with deep scars across his neck leaned forward, his dark eyes locking onto me. "Who is this girl, Gideon? She carries no Ironclaw scent. Is she a rogue from the neutral zone?"

"She is not just a rogue," Gideon announced, his voice ringing out with absolute clarity, striking the council members like a physical blow. "She is Lyra Vance. Daughter of the Royal Lineage, rightful blood of the mountain..."

Gideon turned slightly, his hand moving to rest firmly on the small of my back, pulling me half an inch closer.

"...and she is my fated mate."

Gasps echoed across the boardroom. Two executives actually stood up from their chairs in shock.

Alpha Marcus’s face turned a violent, dark shade of crimson. "Silence." he roared, slamming his heavy fist onto the granite table. "This is absurd. The Royal bloodline was wiped out twenty years ago.She is a street rat, a distraction, and an illegal trespasser."

Marcus drew a silver sidearm from his shoulder holster, pointing the barrel straight at my forehead. "Guards.Escort this rogue off the premises or terminate her."

The guards near the doors hesitated, looking nervously between the old Alpha and the young Commander.

I didn't wait for them to make a choice.

Before Marcus could pull the trigger, I stepped out from Gideon’s side. My wolf magic surged through my veins like pure liquid lightning. I reached down, drew one of my concealed silver daggers, and threw it with blinding, supernatural speed.

The silver blade sliced clean through the leather strap of Marcus’s holster, pinning his suit sleeve directly to the high wooden back of his executive chair, knocking the handgun from his grip. It clattered uselessly across the granite table.

The entire room froze in absolute horror.

I stood tall, my silk sleeves falling back to reveal the second silver blade gleam in my hand. My golden eyes flared with a brilliant, royal light that resonated through the room, making every wolf present feel the crushing weight of ancestral dominance.

"Put your weapon away, Marcus," I said, my voice low, smooth, and carrying the undeniable power of my lineage. "You are addressing the future Alpha female of this pack."

Gideon stepped beside me, a dark, proud smile on his face. He drew his own weapon, resting the heavy barrel casually on the back of his father's chair, right next to Marcus’s ear.

"The board meeting is adjourned, Father," Gideon whispered, leaning down. "Now, you and I are going to have a private talk about why you authorized the Capital Council to execute my mate.”