The elevator doors slid shut with a soft hiss, trapping me in that mirrored box with Damian Blackwood. His scent wrapped around me like smoke-sandalwood, storm rain, and something darker, like gunmetal and pine. My wolf clawed at the inside of my skin, whining, begging. Mate. Ours. Take.

I pressed my back against the cool metal wall, arms crossed tight over my chest like that could hold everything in. "This is a bad idea," I said, voice steadier than I felt.

He leaned one shoulder against the opposite wall, arms loose at his sides, watching me like I was prey that had just grown interesting claws. "Running from me twice in one day? That's a record."

"I didn't run the first time. I left an interview that turned... personal."

"Personal." He tasted the word, lips curving just enough to show teeth. "You felt it too. Don't lie to me, Elara. The bond doesn't allow for pretty denials."

I looked away, staring at our reflections-him tall, broad, expensive suit hugging muscle like it was custom-made for sin; me in my cheap blazer and skirt, hair escaping its bun, cheeks flushed. We looked mismatched. Wrong. But the air between us crackled anyway.

The elevator dinged at the penthouse level. Doors opened to marble and glass and city lights that stretched forever. He gestured me out first-gentlemanly, but his eyes said predator.

Inside, the space was cold luxury: black leather, chrome, a wall of windows overlooking Lagos at night. Neon bled across the floor like spilled blood. He poured two glasses of amber liquid from a decanter without asking if I wanted one. Handed me mine. Our fingers brushed. Fire shot up my arm.

"Sit," he said.

I stayed standing. "I have to get home. My friend is watching my kids."

"Kids." He repeated it slowly, like he was testing the weight. "How many?"

"Three." My throat closed around the word. "Triplets."

Something flickered in his green eyes-surprise, then calculation, then heat. "And the father?"

"None of your business."

"Everything about you is my business now." He stepped closer. Not crowding, but close enough I could feel his body heat. "The moon doesn't make mistakes. You're mine, Elara. That means your enemies are mine. Your fears. Your children."

I laughed, sharp and bitter. "You don't even know me."

"I know you're scared. I know someone hurt you so bad you ran to a human city and hid your scent with wolfsbane tea. I know you smell like heartbreak and vanilla and power you're too stubborn to claim." He set his glass down untouched. "Tell me who."

I swallowed. The words stuck like glass. But the bond pushed, insistent, like a hand at my back. "Ryder Blackthorn. Alpha of Silvermoon Pack. My ex-husband."

Damian's expression didn't change, but the room felt colder. "The one who divorced you publicly. The one who paraded his new mate while you carried his pups alone."

My breath hitched. "How do you-"

"I make it my business to know threats. And anyone who hurts what's mine is a threat." He reached out, slow, brushed a strand of hair from my face. His touch was gentle. Too gentle. It made me want to lean in and run at the same time.

"I left before they were born," I whispered. "He didn't know. Still doesn't. Or didn't, until recently. Someone saw me. Word got back."

"And now he's coming."

I nodded, once. "He messaged me tonight. Demands to see them. Says they're his heirs."

Damian's jaw ticked. "He'll have to go through me."

"You don't understand. Ryder isn't just an alpha. He's connected-old money, old blood. Pack alliances. If he claims them-"

"He won't." Damian's voice was flat, final. "Because you're under Eclipse protection now. My pack. My rules."

I stepped back. "I don't belong to anyone."

"You belong to me." He closed the distance again. "And I belong to you. That's the deal fate made. You can fight it. You can run again. But you'll end up right here, Elara. Every time."

The bond pulsed, hot and heavy between us. My nipples tightened under my blouse; heat pooled low in my belly. Traitor body. Traitor wolf.

"I can't do this," I said, but it came out weak. "Not again. Not after-"

He cupped my face with both hands, thumbs stroking my cheekbones. "I'm not him. I won't cheat. I won't discard you. I won't let anyone take what's ours."

"Ours." The word hung there. The triplets. Me. Him.

I searched his eyes. No lies. Just hunger. Possession. Something softer underneath, like he'd been waiting a long time.

One tear slipped free. I hated it. "I have to think about them first. Always."

"Then let me help." His forehead rested against mine. Breath mingled. "Stay tonight. No strings. No pressure. Just rest. Tomorrow, we plan. Security. Lawyers if we need human ones. Wolves if we don't."

I wanted to say no. Pride screamed it. But exhaustion won. The kids were safe with Maria till morning. And here, in this fortress of glass and steel, I felt... shielded.

"Okay," I breathed. "One night."

He kissed me then-slow, claiming, like he was memorizing every inch of my mouth. I melted into it despite myself, hands fisting his shirt. When we broke apart, both breathing hard, he led me to a guest suite down the hall.

"Clothes in the closet. Food if you're hungry. I'll be across the hall if you need me."

He left me there, door clicking shut softly.

I sank onto the bed, head in hands. The room smelled like him-faint, lingering. My wolf settled, content for the first time in years.

But sleep didn't come easy. Dreams twisted: Ryder's face over Lila's body, then Damian's green eyes promising forever, then tiny paws scratching at doors, howling for pack.

I woke to knocking. Soft. Dawn light slanted through blinds.

Damian stood there, shirt untucked, hair messy like he'd barely slept either. "Your phone's been buzzing. It's him."

He held it out. Ryder's name on the screen. Missed calls. Texts.

I know where you are. We need to talk. The children are mine by blood and pack law.

My stomach dropped.

Damian took the phone back, thumbed it off. "He traced your number. Amateur. My people are already sweeping for tails."

"Your people?"

"Mafia has uses." He said it casually, like ordering coffee. "Eclipse runs clean on paper-real estate, tech, shipping. Underneath... we protect our own. Territory. Family."

Family.

He stepped inside, closed the door. "Get dressed. Breakfast. Then we talk strategy."

I nodded numbly. In the bathroom, I splashed water on my face, stared at the woman in the mirror. Same chestnut hair, same hazel eyes. But something harder now. Sharper.

Downstairs, the kitchen was massive-marble island, coffee brewing. Damian slid a plate toward me: eggs, bacon, fruit. Simple. Human.

"Eat," he said. "You need strength."

I sat. Poked at the food. "What happens if Ryder shows up with enforcers?"

"We outnumber him. Outgun him. Out-think him." Damian leaned on the counter, arms crossed. "But first, I need the full story. No omissions."

So I told him. The arranged marriage. My father's debts. Falling for Ryder anyway. The nights I thought were love. Finding him with Lila. The rain-soaked run. The positive test. Labor alone in a public hospital, naming them Asher, Kai, Aria while tears mixed with sweat. Hiding their shifts with suppressants I'd stolen from pack stores. Working doubles at the diner. Scraping by.

Damian listened without interrupting. When I finished, silence stretched.

Then: "He'll regret every second he wasted not cherishing you."

I looked up. His eyes burned. Not just anger. Possession. Pride.

"And the bond?" I asked quietly. "What if it's too much? What if I can't-"

"Then we go slow." He rounded the island, spun my stool so I faced him. Stepped between my knees. "But I'm not walking away. Not from you. Not from them."

He kissed my forehead. Lingered. "Finish eating. I want to meet them."

Panic flared. "Not yet. They're... normal kids. Mostly. They don't know about wolves. About mates. About any of this."

"Then we'll ease them in." His hand cupped my neck, thumb on my pulse. "Together."

My phone-now in his pocket-vibrated again. He pulled it out, glanced, jaw tight.

"Ryder's in the city. Landed an hour ago. Asking for a meeting. Neutral ground."

My blood ran cold. "I don't want to see him."

"You won't have to. Not alone." Damian's smile was all teeth. "But he needs to see you're not running anymore. That you have protection he can't touch."

The bond thrummed approval. My wolf bared teeth inside me.

For the first time since that rainy night, I didn't feel small.

I felt dangerous.

The coffee tasted like ash in my mouth. I set the mug down too hard; it clinked against the marble island like an accusation. Damian watched me from across the counter, arms braced, every line of his body coiled like he was already mid-shift. The penthouse felt smaller suddenly, the city skyline pressing in through the glass like a thousand judging eyes.

"He's really here," I said. Not a question. The words just fell out.

Damian nodded once. "Private jet. Landed at Murtala Muhammed an hour ago. My contact at the airport flagged it. He's got four enforcers with him-standard Silvermoon muscle. No heavy weapons on the manifest, but that doesn't mean shit in our world."

I rubbed my temples. Headache blooming behind my eyes. "He'll want to see them. The kids. He'll push the pack law angle-blood heirs, alpha lineage. He won't back off easy."

"Let him push." Damian's voice was low, almost conversational. But his eyes had gone wolf-gold at the edges. "He steps one foot wrong in my territory, and Eclipse will remind him why no one crosses the Blackwood line."

I looked at him-really looked. The billionaire facade was cracking; underneath was pure predator. Tattoos peeking from his rolled sleeves: pack runes, old scars that told stories of fights I hadn't asked about yet. Mafia whispers made sense now. Not just money and power. Control. The kind that came with bodies if necessary.

"You don't have to do this," I said quietly. "This isn't your fight."

He rounded the island in two strides. Stopped just short of touching me. Close enough I could feel the heat rolling off him. "It became my fight the second the bond snapped. You think I give a damn about pack politics or old debts? You're mine, Elara. That makes your children mine to protect. End of discussion."

My breath caught. Mine. The word should have terrified me after Ryder. Instead it settled somewhere deep, warm and dangerous. My wolf stretched lazily inside me, approving. Traitor.

Before I could argue, my phone buzzed on the counter. Damian had handed it back after turning it off last night. Now the screen lit up with Ryder's name again. A text this time.

Neutral ground. The old warehouse district off Apapa-Oshodi. Noon. Bring the kids or I bring the pack. We talk like civilized wolves.

I stared at the words until they blurred. Damian read over my shoulder, body going rigid.

"He's bluffing," he said. "He doesn't have the numbers here. Lagos is Eclipse turf. Silvermoon has no foothold."

"But he knows where I live. Or suspects." Panic clawed up my throat. "Maria has them today. If he-"

"He won't touch them." Damian took the phone, thumbed a quick reply without asking: She'll be there. Alone. No pups. You try anything, you don't walk away.

He hit send. My stomach dropped.

"You just poked the bear," I whispered.

"Good. Let him bleed first."

The warehouse district smelled like rust, salt from the lagoon, and old oil. Noon sun beat down mercilessly, turning the cracked concrete into a griddle. I stood in the shadow of a derelict shipping container, arms wrapped around myself despite the heat. Damian had wanted to come. I'd refused. This was my ghost to face. But he'd insisted on eyes everywhere-his men in plainclothes on rooftops, snipers with tranqs loaded with wolfsbane derivative. "Just in case," he'd said, kissing my forehead like it was normal. Like we were already something solid.

Ryder appeared right on time. Alone, like promised. But the arrogance rolled off him in waves. Same dark hair, same gray eyes that used to make me melt. Now they just made me sick.

He stopped ten feet away. Looked me up and down like appraising damaged goods.

"You look... different," he said. Voice smooth. Too smooth.

"Three kids will do that." I kept my tone flat. No emotion. He didn't deserve any.

His jaw tightened. "Where are they?"

"Safe. Away from you."

"Elara." He stepped closer. I didn't flinch. "They're mine. Alpha blood. The pack needs heirs. Lila-"

"Don't." The word cracked like a whip. "Don't say her name. You lost the right when you fucked her in our bed."

He exhaled through his nose. "I never stopped caring. The bond with Lila... it was fate. Stronger than what we had."

"What we had was a lie. You sold me the dream while you were already looking elsewhere."

He rubbed the back of his neck. Classic Ryder tell-uncomfortable but not sorry. "I want to see them. Just see. Then we can negotiate custody. Visits. Pack training when they're old enough."

"Negotiate?" I laughed, sharp and ugly. "You think you get to negotiate after you divorced me publicly? After you let the pack whisper I was barren? Weak? You threw me away, Ryder. I built a life without you. They don't need you."

His eyes flashed. "They need a pack. A real one. Not whatever human scraps you've been feeding them in this city."

Anger surged, hot and bright. My wolf snarled inside, claws scraping bone. "They're happy. Healthy. Shifting already-controlled, careful. They're mine."

"Ours." He corrected softly. Almost gentle. "Come home, Elara. Bring them. I'll make it right. Divorce Lila if I have to. The bond-"

"The bond broke when you chose her." My voice shook. "And there's someone else now."

He froze. "Who?"

Before I could answer, tires screeched. Black SUVs rolled in from both ends of the street-Eclipse markings subtle on the plates. Doors opened. Damian stepped out first, flanked by six wolves in human skin. All business. All lethal.

Ryder's posture shifted instantly-alpha to alpha. Hackles invisible but raised.

"Blackwood," he growled. "This is between me and my ex-Luna."

Damian walked forward slow, deliberate. Stopped beside me. His hand settled on the small of my back-possessive, steadying. Heat seeped through my shirt.

"Not anymore," Damian said. Voice calm. Deadly calm. "She's Eclipse now. Under my protection. The children too."

Ryder's gaze flicked between us. Then to Damian's hand. Understanding dawned. Ugly. "Fated?"

Damian smiled. No warmth. "The moon doesn't lie."

Ryder laughed once-harsh. "You think you can just claim what's mine?"

"She's not yours." Damian's fingers flexed against my spine. "She never really was. You had her on paper. On pity. I have her by fate."

Tension crackled. Wolves on both sides shifted weight, ready.

Ryder looked at me. Really looked. Searching for the girl who'd once loved him blindly.

I met his eyes. Held them. "Go home, Ryder. Tell Lila the heirs she couldn't give you? They're thriving without you. And if you come near my family again, you'll deal with him." I nodded toward Damian. "And me."

Ryder's face twisted-anger, regret, something darker. "This isn't over."

"It is for today," Damian said. "Leave. While you still can."

Ryder held my gaze a beat longer. Then turned. Walked back to his car. The engine roared. They peeled out.

Silence fell. Heavy. Electric.

Damian's hand slid up to cup my neck. Thumb under my jaw, tilting my face to his.

"You okay?" Soft. Only for me.

I nodded. Tears burned but didn't fall. "Yeah. I think so."

He kissed me then-right there in the open, under the brutal sun. Claiming. Reassuring. His lips tasted like victory and promise. I kissed back, hands fisting his shirt, pouring everything into it: fear, relief, the first fragile threads of something new.

When we broke apart, foreheads touching, he murmured, "Let's go get our kids."

Our.

The word echoed. Scary. Beautiful.

Back at the penthouse, Maria brought them up. Asher barreled in first-six years old going on alpha already-tackling my legs. "Mama! We made cookies! Maria said they're ugly but yummy!"

Kai followed quieter, clutching a drawing. Aria last, thumb in mouth, eyeing Damian suspiciously.

I knelt, gathered them close. Their scents-milk, crayons, wildness-grounded me.

"Guys," I said, voice thick. "This is Damian. He's... a friend. A special friend."

Asher squinted up. "He smells like wolf. Strong wolf."

Damian's lips twitched. He crouched to their level. "That's because I am. And you three? You smell like trouble. The good kind."

Kai tilted his head. "Are you gonna be our new daddy?"

The room stilled.

I froze. Damian didn't. He looked at me first-asking permission with his eyes.

I swallowed. Nodded once. Tiny. Terrified. Hopeful.

Damian smiled-real this time. Soft. "If your mama says yes... yeah. I'd like that very much."

Aria reached out suddenly. Touched his hand. "You have big paws when you shift?"

He laughed low. "Biggest in Lagos."

She beamed. "Cool."

They swarmed him then-questions, touches, chaos. He let them climb like he was built for it. Patient. Gentle.

I watched from the couch, heart too full. Too scared. Too alive.

Later, when the kids were napping in the guest room (Damian had a whole nursery suite ready-don't ask how fast his people worked), he found me on the balcony. City lights glittering below.

He wrapped arms around me from behind. Chin on my shoulder.

"They're perfect," he said.

"They are." I leaned back into him. "But Ryder won't stop. Not forever."

"Then we'll be ready." His lips brushed my neck. Sparks everywhere. "Tonight, though? Just us."

Heat flared. The bond hummed approval.

I turned in his arms. Looked up. "Show me what fated really means."

His growl vibrated through me. Then his mouth crashed down.

We stumbled inside. Clothes shed like old skin. His hands everywhere-reverent, hungry. My back hit the wall; he lifted me like I weighed nothing. Legs wrapped around his waist.

"Elara," he breathed against my throat. "Mine."

"Yours," I gasped.

And for the first time since the rain, I believed it.

He carried me to his bed. Laid me down like something precious. Kissed every scar-literal and not. Worshipped until I was shaking, begging.

When he finally slid inside, slow, deep, the bond exploded-colors behind my eyes, souls tangling. We moved together like we'd done this a thousand lives.

After, tangled in sheets, his heartbeat under my cheek, he whispered, "No more running."

"No more," I agreed.

But in the quiet, a howl echoed distant-Ryder? Or warning?

Trouble wasn't done.

It was just getting started.

The sheets were still warm when I woke. Damian's side of the bed was empty, but his scent clung to the pillow-dark, grounding, like cedar smoke after rain. I stretched, muscles deliciously sore in places I'd forgotten could feel that way. Last night had been... more than sex. It was claiming. Surrender. Rebuilding. Every touch had felt like he was erasing Ryder's ghost one layer at a time.

I rolled over, glanced at the clock on the nightstand: 7:14 a.m. The penthouse was quiet except for the distant hum of the city waking up below. No kid chaos yet. Maria had taken them to the indoor play area Damian had somehow magicked into existence on the 42nd floor overnight-complete with climbing walls, foam pits, and a nanny who doubled as a beta enforcer. "Safety first," he'd said last night with that half-smile that made my knees weak. I still wasn't used to someone handling logistics like my children were already his priority.

I slipped into one of his shirts-black, soft, swallowing me whole-and padded barefoot down the hallway. The living area smelled like fresh coffee and something savory. Bacon. My stomach growled.

Damian stood at the island, back to me, phone pressed to his ear. Shirtless. Sweatpants slung low. The tattoos on his back rippled as he moved-pack sigils, crescent moons, a jagged scar that looked like it came from silver claws. Mafia ink mixed with wolf tradition. Dangerous poetry.

"...double the watch on the Apapa route. If Silvermoon tries to move product through our docks again, sink the damn shipment. Non-lethal if possible. I don't want a war yet." Pause. "Yet."

He ended the call, set the phone down. Turned. Saw me. His eyes darkened instantly-pupils blowing wide.

"Morning," I said, suddenly shy in his oversized shirt and nothing else.

He crossed the room in three strides. Didn't speak. Just cupped my face and kissed me like we hadn't spent hours tangled together last night. Slow. Deep. Possessive. When he pulled back, his thumb traced my swollen bottom lip.

"You look good in my clothes," he murmured.

"Borrowed. Not stealing."

"Keep it. Looks better on you." He kissed my forehead, then my temple, then the corner of my mouth. "Hungry?"

"Starving."

He grinned-real, boyish for a second-then steered me to the island. Two plates waited: scrambled eggs, bacon, avocado toast, fresh mango slices. Simple. Thoughtful.

I slid onto a stool. He stood between my knees while I ate, one hand on my thigh, thumb stroking lazy circles through the fabric. Domestic. Dangerous. My heart kept tripping over itself.

"Where are the kids?" I asked between bites.

"Downstairs. Playing. Guarded. Happy." He watched me eat like it was the most fascinating thing in the world. "Asher challenged one of my betas to a staring contest. Lost. Kai built a fort out of couch cushions taller than he is. Aria... she just sits on top and declares herself queen."

I laughed softly. "That tracks."

He leaned in, kissed the corner of my mouth where mango juice lingered. "They're safe here, Elara. Always."

The words settled heavy. Safe. I hadn't felt that in years.

Then his phone buzzed again. He glanced at the screen. Face hardened.

"What?" I asked.

"Ryder didn't leave Lagos." He scrolled. "He's holed up at the Eko Hotel. Meeting with someone. My guy says it's not pack. Human. Expensive suit. Briefcase. Smells like lawyer... or worse."

My fork paused halfway to my mouth. "Worse how?"

"Could be a fixer. Could be someone who knows how to make problems disappear-legally or otherwise." Damian's jaw worked. "Or he's trying to buy information. Birth records. School enrollment. Anything to prove paternity and force a custody play."

Ice slid down my spine. "He can't take them. He doesn't even know them."

"He doesn't need to know them. He just needs the law on his side. Human courts love biological fathers with money and clean records. And pack law..." Damian exhaled. "If he drags this to the Council of Alphas, they'll side with blood lineage. Especially with no official rejection mark on you."

I set the fork down. Hands shaking. "I never got marked. The marriage was human-paper only. He never bit me."

Damian's eyes flared. "Good. That makes it cleaner. No mate bond to unravel. But it also means the triplets are technically unclaimed. Vulnerable."

I stood. Paced. "I need to get them out of here. Somewhere he can't trace."

"No." Damian caught my wrist-gentle but firm. Pulled me back between his legs. "Running again isn't the answer. He'll follow. He's already here. We end this on our terms."

"Our terms?" I searched his face. "What does that even mean?"

He was quiet a moment. Then: "It means I stop playing nice."

The words hung. Mafia undertone thick.

"You're going to... what? Threaten him? Hurt him?"

"If he forces my hand." No apology in his voice. "I protect what's mine. Always have."

I swallowed. Part of me recoiled-the human part that still believed in laws and fairness. The wolf part? She bared teeth. Liked the ruthlessness.

"I don't want blood on my hands," I whispered.

"Then let me carry it." He brushed hair from my face. "You focus on the kids. On us. Let me handle the shadows."

Us.

The word was a lifeline and a chain at the same time.

Before I could answer, the elevator dinged.

Maria stepped out, holding Aria on her hip. Asher and Kai trailed behind, sticky with what looked like jam.

"Mama!" Asher yelled, running straight into my legs. "They have a slide! Inside!"

Kai held up a half-eaten pancake on a stick. "They made us breakfast tacos. With extra cheese."

Aria reached for me. I took her, buried my face in her curls. She smelled like baby shampoo and sunshine.

Damian crouched. "Hey, troublemakers. Have fun?"

Asher nodded vigorously. "Your friends are big. Like giants. But nice."

Kai studied Damian. "You're gonna keep us safe, right? From the bad wolf?"

My breath caught. They knew. Somehow, even at six, they sensed the threat.

Damian met Kai's serious gaze. "Yeah, kid. I'm gonna keep all of you safe. Promise."

Kai nodded once-like a tiny soldier accepting orders-then hugged Damian's leg.

Something cracked open in my chest. Wide. Painful. Beautiful.

Then Damian's phone rang again. He glanced. Stood slowly.

"Stay here," he told me. Stepped into the hallway. Closed the glass door behind him.

I couldn't hear the words, but I saw his face change. From calm to lethal in seconds.

When he came back, eyes gold-rimmed.

"Ryder just filed an emergency custody petition. Lagos High Court. Claims abandonment. Emotional neglect. Unfit environment. He's asking for immediate temporary custody pending DNA and pack verification."

My knees buckled. Damian caught me.

"He's using the human system?" I choked. "He hates humans."

"He's desperate." Damian's voice was ice. "And he's got a high-priced Lagos lawyer who knows exactly which judges owe favors."

I clutched Aria tighter. Asher and Kai pressed against my legs, sensing the shift.

"What do we do?" I whispered.

Damian pulled out his phone again. Already dialing.

"We fight fire with bigger fire." He looked at me-eyes steady, deadly. "My legal team's on it. Injunctions. Countersuits. Character witnesses. And if the court leans his way..."

He didn't finish.

But I knew.

Eclipse didn't lose territory. Or family.

He ended the call. Turned to the kids.

"Hey, how about we go see the rooftop pool? Private one. Just us."

Asher's eyes lit up. "With slides?"

"With everything."

They cheered. Maria herded them toward the elevator.

Damian turned back to me. Pulled me into his arms. Held tight.

"No one's taking them," he said against my hair. "No one's taking you."

I believed him.

Because the man holding me wasn't just an alpha anymore.

He was a storm wearing a suit.

And storms don't negotiate.

They destroy.

Later that night, after the kids were asleep in their new rooms-walls painted soft blue, glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling, stuffed wolves on every bed-I found Damian in his office.

Glass walls. City lights bleeding through.

He stood at the window, sleeves rolled up, glass of whiskey in hand.

I walked up behind him. Slid my arms around his waist. Pressed my cheek to his back.

"Thank you," I whispered.

He set the glass down. Turned. Lifted me onto the desk. Stepped between my thighs.

"Don't thank me yet." His hands slid under the shirt-my shirt now-palms hot on my skin. "This is just beginning."

I kissed him. Hard. Hungry. Needing to feel something other than fear.

He groaned. Lifted me again. Carried me to the leather couch.

Clothes disappeared fast.

This time wasn't gentle.

It was desperate. Claiming. Reassuring.

He pinned my wrists above my head with one hand. The other gripped my hip hard enough to bruise.

"Say it," he growled against my throat.

"Yours."

"Louder."

"Yours, Damian. All yours."

He thrust deep. Once. Twice. Held.

The bond roared-white-hot, unbreakable.

When we shattered together, I cried his name like a prayer.

Afterward, sweat-slick and tangled, he traced the curve of my spine.

"If Ryder wants war," he murmured, "he's going to get one he can't win."

I pressed a kiss to his collarbone.

"Then let's make sure he never forgets who he's dealing with."

Outside, the city pulsed.

Somewhere in it, Ryder was plotting.

But here-in this tower of glass and shadows-we were building something stronger.

A family.

A fortress.

A future.

And if blood had to paint the path to keep it?

So be it.