Midnight At The Pera Palace Novels & Stories

she asked. "Tonight, there is a gala," Julian said, a predatory glint appearing in his eyes. "The 'Midnight Masquerade.' It is being hosted at the old Lu-Sheng Manor—the one Minny restored. Cyrus will be there. He expects you to be hiding in the mountains, crying over your lost empire. Instead, you will walk in on my arm. You will show them that the Panni fire hasn't been extinguished; it’s just been refined." "A masquerade," Panni whispered. "How fitting."

I saw him at breakfast each morning, our routine held even in crisis, On the third night, I was in the library when Vera found me. “I need to show you something,” she said quietly. I followed her to the medical wing. She led me to her private office and closed the door. “What is wrong?” Vera pulled out a file. “I have been researching Midnight's Mark. Going through the old medical texts about the last time it appeared. I found something.” She spread papers across her desk, copies of ancient records, hand-written in fading ink. “The last marked pair was named Elena and Marcus, no relation to our current Alpha. They were marked during a similar time of crisis. Something was attacking their pac

"Which is why we're doing it." Somehow, against all logic, she convinced me. A few hours later we arrived at one of the most exclusive clubs in the city. The music pulsed through the walls. Luxury surrounded us. Beautiful people filled every corner. The place practically screamed money. "Where exactly are we?" I asked. Percy grinned. "Martil's club." I nearly choked. "WHAT?" Her laughter exploded. The traitor. Still, despite my complaints, I gradually relaxed. The drinks helped.

Mid-pose, as I let my gaze drift toward the shadows at the back of the room, I catch movement. Colin slips in quietly. He leans against the far wall, arms crossed, watching me with a slow, appreciative smile. Our eyes meet and he gives the tiniest nod in my direction, as if to say, ‘You’re killing it.’ I feel my lips instantly curve despite myself, and Lena’s camera clicks faster. “Hold that smile, Eva—exactly like that!” The shoot blurs on for quite a while, until Lena finally calls out, “That’s a wrap! You were magic today.”

Chapter One The notification goes live at 12:03 a.m. Most people don’t notice it right away. Midnight notifications are easy to ignore—another bored scroll, another face glowing in the dark. But for the ones who do click, the screen opens to something oddly quiet. No music. No filter. No bright smile. Just Lila Monroe, framed too close, her face pale in the bluish light of her phone. The familiar background of her bedroom looks different tonight—messier, shadows stretching too long across the walls. Her hair is pulled back like she’s been running her hands through it too many times.

The Midnight Gala The invitation was a slab of pure black obsidian with gold lettering. The Midnight Masquerade. It was the city’s most guarded annual event, held at a secret location that was only revealed two hours before it began. Only the top 0.1% of the elite were invited. Liora sat at her vanity, staring at the invitation.After the confrontation in the elevator, Mavric had been distant yet suffocatingly present. He hadn't apologized for his outburst, but the gifts arriving at her door spoke for him.

Rosa and Maggie stood further back, their faces pale in the dawn light, while the older collection of nobles shifted like a flock of birds deciding whether to fly or peck. 'Quite the dramatic exit,' Lady Pera’s voice sliced through the quiet, dripping with a saccharine malice that made my skin prickle. She stepped forward, her chin tilted at a sharp angle. 'One wonders if His Majesty is riding towards our salvation, or simply away from his own bedchamber.'

The Midnight Perimeter By midnight, the vast penthouse was swallowed in a heavy, suffocating darkness. The only illumination came from the amber glow of the Manhattan skyline bleeding through the floor-to-ceiling glass of the master suite. The massive king-sized bed felt entirely too small. Avery lay on the left side of the mattress, propped up on one elbow, a wicked, triumphant smirk playing on her lips in the dark. She had executed her strategy flawlessly. To absolutely destroy Vivian’s peaceful mind, she had chosen her most provocative, sheer black lace lingerie—a piece so daring it made the emerald lace from the previous morning look entirely modest.

the servant who kept pestering her said. At the same time, Layla felt someone lifting her body and placing it inside the cold, wooden box. Just like what the servant said, she fitted perfectly without her legs. Somehow, she felt grateful not to see her current state, or she’d be no longer sane after getting her body mutilated. “It’s five minutes past six in the evening. Approximately less than six hours left before midnight. Keep your guards up, we’ll have to protect the offering until the feast is done.” “Yes!”

The Uber arrived outside just as we were walking out, my mom had gotten one for us just in case. After the short ride, the night was ready to begin. Thankfully, Seth was on good terms with the bouncer at the door so we got in without a wait. The inside of Panic was loud and full of colors, which somehow seemed brighter than they had ever before. “It’s wolf vision,” Leah said in my mind. “We can see in the dark. As the days pass, we are getting stronger. In a few days' time our full strength will be revealed.”