Noah decided, very firmly, that he hated birthdays, he doesn't just like the attention,cake was fine.

Not gifts either. He liked gifts. Expensive gifts, thoughtful gifts, awkward gifts from Ethan that always came with a joke.

What he hated was the attention.

****************

The speeches, cameras,

The "youngest billionaire CEO" headlines that made him sound like a museum exhibit instead of a human being.

And apparently, his parents had decided that thirty was not just a birthday,it's going to be an event.

************

"You are absolutely not canceling this," his mother said over the phone that morning, voice already in full celebration mode. "Thirty is very important, Noah. It's a milestone."

"It's a number," Noah replied, wedging the phone between his shoulder and ear while tying his tie,A very rude number mum.

His father laughed in the background.We already booked the venue, Noah closed his eyes,

"Of course you did."

*************

"Celebrities are coming," his mother continued happily, and senators, and the board, and that actor you like

I do not like that actor mum.

"You absolutely do,you watched all his movies."

"That was a research job mum and nothing more.

She ignored him. "It will be glamorous. Elegant. Perfect."

"No pressure," Noah muttered.

"And the moon will be full that night," she added casually.

Noah froze, he over react to things now.

What?

"Yes, the silver moon. Very romantic, isn't it?" she said. "Your father said it was a good omen."

A strange chill slid down Noah's spine.

He laughed it off, forcing it. "Great. Love that for me."

When the call ended, he stood in his bedroom for a long moment, staring at nothing.

Full moon,

Why did that word suddenly feel... heavy?

He shook his head,nah stop it..

You're not a werewolf in a bad Netflix show.

Still, unease followed him all the way to work.

*************

If birthdays stressed him out...

Louis distracted him.

Completely, at least he doesn't think much about work by the time he got to his office, Noah had already exchanged fifteen messages with him.

Louis: Morning, billionaire.

Noah smiled at his phone like a teenager.

Noah: Morning, mysterious hot stranger.

Louis: You say that like you're not also a mysterious hot billionaire.

Noah: I am not mysterious. I'm just tired.

Louis: Tired men are my weakness.

Noah actually laughed out loud, hmmmm sexy,

Claire poked her head into the office. "Sir?"

"Sorry," Noah said quickly, clearing his throat. What's up?

Your ten o'clock is here, send them in.

He set the phone face down,focused or tried to.

But all through the meeting, his thoughts kept drifting.

To the way Louis typed,how he imagined kissing him.

To the voice he imagined behind those messages.

To how easy it felt to talk to him.

At lunch, Ethan appeared at his door like clockwork.

"So," he announced, dropping into the chair. "How's my matchmaking genius doing?"

Noah tried very hard not to smile,failed.

Ethan gasped dramatically. "OH MY GOD."

"No," Noah said immediately,I can see you smiling.

Nah,am not.

"You are glowing."

"I am not glowing."

Ethan slapped the desk. "HE'S REAL."

Noah sighed, but he couldn't hide it anymore. "His name is Louis."

"LOUIS," Ethan repeated like it was sacred. "Tell me everything handsome.

"He's... funny. Smart. Calm," Noah said softly. "He listens."

Ethan's grin softened. "Look at you. Catching feelings already huh

I am not....He paused. Then quietly, "Okay, maybe a little."

When are you meeting?

Noah hesitated. "I asked him last night."

"And?"

"He said soon."

Ethan wiggled his eyebrows. "Soon is good. Soon means naked and getting laid eventually."

"ETHAN."

"I'm just saying."

Despite himself, Noah laughed.

For the first time in years, he felt... excited about something that wasn't work.

*************

That night, after twelve straight hours of meetings and calls, Noah collapsed onto his bed with his phone.

Louis was already typing.

Louis: Long day?

Noah: You have no idea.

Louis: Want to complain to a very handsome stranger?

Noah smiled

They talked for hours.

About childhood memories.

Bad first dates,first kiss,favorite color.

At some point, the conversation shifted.

Slowed,softened.

Louis: Can I ask you something a little... personal?

Noah swallowed.

Noah: Depends,Will I regret it?

Louis: Probably.

Noah laughed. "Try me."

Louis: What do you look like when you're not in CEO mode?

Noah hesitated.

Then stood, walked to the mirror, loosened his shirt a little, took a quick picture, collar open, hair messy,his abs were in the right places looking all sexy.

He click sent.

Louis: ...

Louis: Noah.

Noah's heart raced.

Noah: What?

Louis: You are unfair.

Noah laughed, cheeks burning

Louis: That dangerous.

Heat rushed through him.

Louis sent a photo back.

Just him leaning against a wall, dark hair damp like he'd just showered, his eyes intense and warm at the same time.

Noah stared.

"...Oh."

Louis: Still breathing?

Noah: Barely.

They both went quiet.

Then........

Louis: I really want to meet you.

Noah's pulse jumped.

Noah: Me too.

Louis: After your birthday.

Noah blinked. "How do you know my birthday is coming up.

"You told me," Louis replied. "Three days ago. You said you hate them."

Oh that's true,he relaxed

He relaxed.

Noah: My parents are throwing this huge thing. I might actually die from social interaction, i really dont love parties.

Louis: I'll rescue you after.

Noah smiled at the thought.

Noah: Promise?

Louis: I promise.

Across the city, Marcus lowered the phone slowly.

His heart was doing something dangerous.

Something he hadn't felt in decades.

This wasn't supposed to feel like this.

He was supposed to be collecting information.

Not wondering what Noah's laugh sounded like in real life.

Not replaying the photo in his mind.

Not wanting to kiss him so badly,and make love to him.

He shut the thought down.

Focus, Marcus.

Soon, he told himself.

Soon, I'll meet him.

And then...

He didn't finish the thought.

*************

Two days before the party, the unease came back.

Stronger this time around.

Noah woke from a dream breathing so fast and his heart raciag like he just did a race.

He saw the claws, fire.

A woman crying his name.

When he looked at the clock, it was 3:17 a.m.

Full moon tonight, his mind whispered.

He sat up, breathing hard.

"Get it together," he muttered.

At breakfast, his mother hugged him too tightly.

"You're nervous," she said knowingly.

"I'm fine."

You've been quiet lately Noah what happened.

He forced a smile. "Just tired."

That evening, Ethan dragged him out to pick a suit for the party.

"You have to look criminally hot," Ethan declared. "This is your villain origin birthday."

Noah rolled his eyes but let him choose.

Black suit, with silver cufflinks.

When he tried it on, even he had to admit...

Damn. Am very handsome you know, he told Ethan.

That night, Louis messaged him again.

Louis: Big day tomorrow.

Noah: Don't remind me.

Louis: Nervous?

Noah: A little.

Louis: Wish I could be there.

Noah's heart skipped a bit

Noah: I wish that too.

There was a pause.

Then-

Louis: After the party... come with me somewhere quiet.

Hmmmmmmmmm is someone asking me out???

Like... a date?

Louis: Like the kind of night you don't forget.

His face was blushing.

Noah: You're very confident.

Louis: Only because I really want you.

And every where was quiet,thick and charged

Noah typed slowly.

Noah: I really want you too.

On the other side of the city, Marcus closed his eyes.

This was bad.

Because the closer the full moon came...

The closer the mission came.

And the more he realized something terrifying.

He wasn't just falling for his target.

He was about to lose him.

*************

The night before his birthday, as Noah stood on his balcony staring at the rising silver moon, unease coiled in his chest again.

The moon looked... brighter than usual.

Closer,watching then he heard his phone buzzed

Louis: Sleep well, birthday boy.

Noah smiled softly.

Noah: I'll try.

Louis: Tomorrow changes everything.

Noah frowned. "What do you mean?"

Louis took a moment to reply.

Louis: Just... trust me.

The message sent a strange shiver through him.

As he set the phone down, thunder rumbled in the distance.

Even though the sky was clear.

And somewhere far away...

Fate sharpened its knives.

Because by this time tomorrow...

Noah Vale would no longer be just a billionaire.

He would become something else entirely.

And the man he was falling for...

Would be standing right at the center of the storm.

The room was cold. Not physically in a way , but in the way a place could make your skin crawl,marble floors, steel chairs, glass walls. Expensive taste, the office screamed power before one spoke a word.

*************

A long, polished table ran the length of the room. Around it sat five figures,sharp suits, sharper eyes.looking like normal human beings with money, influence and power.

One of them, the oldest, a man with streaks of gray in his slicked-back hair, leaned forward. His voice was calm but very sharp.

"The child is alive," he said.

The words hung in the air, heavy as the tension that followed.

"They suspect it's the one the Vales adopted some years ago," another said. A woman with a severe bun nodded, tapping her nails against the table. "And if it is... we've waited long enough to act,too long we cannot let him rise unchecked.

The youngest of the council, a sharp-eyed man in his forties with a faint scar across his jaw, drummed his fingers on the table.Do we have someone on the inside because we won't seat still.

That was when Elara stepped forward. She was tall looking, very dangerous. Every step was measured. Every word deliberate. She had a presence that made people flinch without her raising her voice.

**************

"I have someone," she said. Her tone was cold, but commanding. There was no warmth in her voice. "He's unaware, completely human in appearance, but we've started him down the path. He's being set up. A fake dating profile. And I think... he's already taking the bait."

There was whispers around the table.

"And?" the oldest asked. "We're not here for updates, Elara. What else?"

She exhaled softly, like smoke escaping a fire pit. "His birthday is coming up quickly. That's when everything could escalate. If he makes a wrong move, if he awakens something... we need control. I've prepared Marcus for this.

Then came the pause.

"Yes," she continued, eyes scanning each council member. "Marcus is... effective. Loyal. He knows what to do. And when the birthday comes, he'll be ready. But if the hybrid,if this Vale child is as strong as we suspect..." she leaned forward, voice almost a growl. "It could get messy."

**********

One of the council members, a woman with steel-gray eyes, frowned. "Messy isn't good enough. We need precision. We can't afford mistakes,our future depends on this.

Elara's lips curled into the faintest smirk. "I don't make mistakes. Not on this."

A man sitting at the far end of the table cleared his throat. "We've all seen what the Vales produce. If this... child... has any of their brilliance, he won't just be a problem. He'll be a force. We need him under observation now, before the birthday gala, before the moon.

************

Elara's gaze snapped to him, sharp as a blade. "Enough with the theatrics. He's human, not something mystical. He's going to fall in love, he's going to trust Marcus. And when he does, we'll know exactly what we're dealing with. You'll have data, not speculation.

The room went quiet for a moment. The weight of her words sank in. Not just power,but control. Precision. That's what they wanted. Not legends, not prophecies, not myths.

"Fine," the oldest said finally. "Call a meeting. All resources,surveillance,background checks. Every asset available. We need eyes and ears on him immediately."

Elara nodded once, tight and precise. "Already done."

She turned, walking toward the door like she owned the entire building. Every council member watched her go, and you could feel it,fear, respect, anticipation.

Outside the room, she paused for a second, staring down the empty hallway. She let herself think of the boy she'd never known, the brother she'd been told was a curse, the hybrid who could destroy everything.

He didn't know her. She didn't know him.

And yet... she felt it.

A pull she couldn't name. A tension she couldn't shake.

But there was no time for feelings. Not yet.

She walked down the hall to the private elevator, her mind already on the plan. Marcus was ready. Louis,the fake profile, the bait was already working. And the birthday...

The birthday would be the test.

And if Noah Vale didn't play his part, the entire city, the entire world of human power and influence the council had built, could tip into chaos.

Elara's hand brushed the pendant at her neck, a cold circle of silver. She'd been trained to follow orders, to trust no one but the court. But a single thought nagged at her.

Unknown to her the child whom the Elders hated was her brother.

*********

The council called for a meeting immediately. Everyone's phones pinged. Messages flew. Files were opened and closed. The room was alive with human energy,money, influence, power. And beneath it all, the sense that something monumental was about to happen.

Because this wasn't a game anymore.

The hybrid child-Noah Vale,was alive.

And for the first time in decades, the council wasn't entirely in control.

***********

Elara returned to her office later that night, eyes flicking over surveillance reports of the Vale family, Noah's schedule, even his online activity.

The dating profile. She studied it, lips pressing together. "Good," she muttered. "He's curious. He's intrigued. The bait's working."

Her fingers hovered over a tablet. Marcus's profile, waiting to send another message. She smiled faintly, approving.

But even as she watched him, the pull in her chest returned.

She hated that pull. She hated the flicker of recognition she felt when looking at the boy she'd only heard about in stories, in rumors, in nightmares painted by the Elders.

********

All she knew was that he was dangerous, irresistible, and human enough to walk right into her trap.

And that made the game... more complicated than anyone anticipated.

***********

By midnight, the council dispersed. Business as usual. Human faces. Human minds. Human schemes,but Elara stayed behind,staring at the city below,the birthday plan,the hybrid.

Her heart a little heavier, her mind a little sharper.

She whispered to herself, almost a warning, almost a prayer:

"Don't screw this up, Marcus. And don't screw this up, me."

The hunt had begun.

And Noah Vale... had no idea how close the storm really was.

************

****

Marcus Blackwood didn't knock on the door of the office.

He didn't have too.

The doors people locked, the cameras they trusted, the guards they paid,none of it ever really kept him out. He moved through spaces like he belonged there, like the air itself stepped aside for him.

Tonight, though, he didn't move like a shadow, he walked into Elara's office the way a man walks into a place that knows him too well.

*******

Her office place was very nice,spacious but painfully controlled, lights. Screens lining one wall, all displaying different feeds traffic cameras, building layouts, security logs, and one very specific thing in the center of it all:

Noah Vale's digital footprint was on her computer screen.

Marcus didn't look at the screens right away. His eyes went straight to her.

Elara stood with her back to him, one hand resting on the edge of her desk, posture straight like steel, Even standing still, she radiated command.with her black blazer , her Hair tied low. Face carved into something unreadable,very beautiful.

"Close the door," she said, not turning.

He did.

*********

Silence stretched between them, thick, familiar, loaded with things neither of them wanted to say out loud.

Finally, Marcus leaned against the wall, hands shoved lazily into his pockets. "You look tense. More than usual.

Elara turned slowly.

******

Her eyes met his, sharp, searching, almost cutting and is that supposed to be a joke ?? Marcus, You fully know what we are up against.

His lips twitched. "I didn't say it was."

She exhaled, short and controlled, walking around the desk to face him properly. Up close, the cracks in her armor were harder to hide. There was something tight around her mouth, something restless in the way her fingers curled.

"This mission," she said, voice low, steady, "is different."

He straightened a little.

"I know," he replied, and he has already taken the bait.

She studied him for a long moment, as if trying to see past the calm exterior, past the charming smile he wore like a second skin.

Marcus Blackwood he is ruggedly handsome, sexy and has quite a charm. Trained since childhood. Shaped by a world that was cruel, secretive, and merciless.

They'd taken him young. Molded him. Broken him in ways no one ever saw.

He is a trained assassin,a solider.

Raised among creatures who moved faster than humans, who saw in the dark, who taught him to feel nothing when he was meant to kill. They'd sharpened him like a blade, then handed him to Elara like an extension of her will.

But somewhere along the way, he'd become more than just a tool, Elara has fallen so deep in love with him but it was against the rule in the council.

******

Elara stepped closer, close enough that the space between them felt charged, delicate, dangerous. "You know what's at stake."

"I always do," Marcus said quietly.

She swallowed, then straightened her shoulders, slipping back into command. "No mistakes. No hesitation. No attachments."

His gaze flickered, she noticed .

Hope you understand me Marcusm

Marcus tilted his head, studying her like he always did-too aware, too perceptive. "You're asking me to do what I've always done."

*******

"Yes," she said. "But this time..." Her voice faltered for half a second before she forced it steady again. "This time, it's kimd of different and if we fail this mission we all are doomed.

*********

Then, softer than she intended, "You know what to do."

Marcus's expression shifted, just barely. Something flickered beneath the calm-something deeper, warmer, more dangerous than any mission.

"I always do, Commander."

She hated when he called her that.

Because it reminded her of who she was supposed to be with him.

*********

Not the woman who stayed up at night thinking about the way his voice sounded when he was tired.

Not the woman who memorized the small scar along his collarbone like it was a secret only she was allowed to know.

Just his superior, nothing more,

********

Elara turned away abruptly, focusing on the screens again. "We're monitoring everything. His movements. His calls. His habits. His online activity."

Marcus stepped up beside her, eyes drifting to the main screen in the center.

There he was.

Noah Vale.

At home,he sprawled on his couch in a soft gray sweater, phone in hand, expression too relaxed for a man who ruled an empire, of late he has being very relaxed ever since he got on that dating app.

Marcus watched him in silence.

Elara glanced at him. "He doesn't suspect anything."

"Good," Marcus said.

But his tone wasn't quite right.

*********

She switched screens, pulling up another feed,Noah's phone activity. Chat logs. The dating app. Messages flowing back and forth between Noah and "Louis."

Marcus's fake profile.

Her eyes flicked back to him. "You've been talking to him."

"I have," he admitted, And??

Marcus leaned slightly against the desk now, eyes still on the screen. "He's... not what I expected."

Elara looked surprised,"What does that mean?"

He hesitated, just for a breath. "He's not arrogant. Not cruel. Not calculating the way the council thinks. He jokes. He overthinks. He sends too many messages when he gets nervous."

Her brows knitted. "That doesn't change anything."

"No," Marcus agreed. "It doesn't."

But his gaze lingered on Noah's face a second longer than necessary.

Marcus felt something his heart beat beating more faster in his chest

He ignored it.

Elara cleared her throat. I think he's already falling for you.

Marcus finally tore his eyes away. "He thinks he is."

"No," she corrected, sharper now. "He is. I've watched his behavior shift over the past week. He checks his phone constantly. He smiles at nothing. He loses focus in meetings. That is not the Noah Vale we know."

A pause.

"And that's exactly what we need," she added coldly.

Marcus didn't respond right away.

Instead, his mind drifted back to last night.

*********

Noah, lying in bed, talking to "Louis" in a low, breathy voice that made Marcus's pulse feel heavier than it should have. They'd talked about nothing and everything stupid things, real things, ridiculous things.

Noah had admitted, half-joking, half-serious, that he'd never felt this way about anyone before.

Marcus had laughed it off.

But now, remembering it, his throat felt tight.

Elara leaned closer to the screen, voice all business again. "His birthday is approaching. That's when everything aligns. That's when we move."

Marcus pushed himself off the desk, straightening. "I'll be ready."

She turned to face him fully, searching his face with that piercing gaze of hers. "You're not attached."

It wasn't really a question.

He met her eyes. "No."

She turned away before he could see how relieved she felt when he responded NO.

Marcus stayed where he was, watching her back, feeling the familiar pull between them like a live wire neither of them would touch.

******

Elara cared for him. Everyone knew it. Even the council whispered about it.

But she would never admit it.

Not to him. Not to herself.

She buried it under authority, under duty, under the armor of command.

And Marcus pretended he didn't notice as well.

Because loving her out loud would only make everything more complicated than it already was.

*********

Across town, Noah Vale was doing something he hadn't done in years.

He was smiling at his phone like a lovesick puppy.

Curled up on his couch, feet tucked under him, hair slightly messy from running his hands through it too many times, he stared at the screen with an expression that made him look years younger.

Louis:

You still there, handsome?

Noah felt heat rush to his face before he could stop it.

Handsome.

He typed, deleted, typed again,nah, I don't want him to feel i am desperate.

Noah:

Unfortunately for my pride... yes.

A bubble appeared almost instantly.

Louis:

Good. I like when you stay.

Noah let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.

He rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling, all giggling,His chest felt light in a way he didn't recognize, fluttery, almost dizzy.

*********

He thought about what Ethan had said in the diner.

When was the last time someone touched you?

He swallowed.

Not like this. Never like this.

*****

He and Louis had never even met, and yet Noah felt more seen than he had in years. They talked late into the night. They shared stupid confessions. Louis teased him gently, made him laugh, made him blush, made him feel things he'd convinced himself he didn't have time for.

His phone pinged again.

Louis:

What are you doing right now?

Noah bit his lip before replying.

Noah:

Lying on my couch, staring at my ceiling like it owes me money.

*******

Louis:

Are you always this dramatic handsome.

Noah huffed out a soft laugh.

Noah:

Only on Wednesdays.

Louis sent a laughing emoji.

Noah stared at it longer than he should have.

He found himself wondering what Louis looked like when he laughed. Whether his eyes crinkled. Whether his voice dropped. Whether he bit his lip like Noah did when he was nervous.

The thought made his heart race, and his d**k hard.

He typed again.

Noah:

When are we finally going to meet?

The three dots appeared almost instantly..

Then disappeared,he didn't respond.

Noah felt sad.

Across the city, in Elara's office, Marcus watched that message pop up on the screen.

His fingers hovered over his own phone.

Elara's voice echoed in his head.

Remember no strings attached,you know what we are up against.

He stared at Noah's profile picture-a candid shot, hair slightly messy, suit jacket draped over one shoulder, eyes warm in a way that felt unfair.

Marcus exhaled slowly.

His thumb finally moved.

Louis:

Very soon.

Back in his penthouse, Noah's heart skipped.

He rolled onto his side, phone pressed to his chest, a stupid grin tugging at his mouth.

Very soon.

He didn't know why, but it felt like a promise.

******