I didn't sleep that night.

I mean how could I, knowing that the men who murdered me would be walking through these doors in a matter of hours? I stood at the window of the master suite, watching the pre-dawn mist curl through the forest, and felt the Phoenix fire simmer beneath my skin.

Behind me, the bed was empty. Avalon had stayed away after our encounter, giving me space I both craved and resented. The mate bond hummed with his presence somewhere in the estate-awake, alert, probably planning how to keep me from doing something stupid.

Too late for that.

"You're up early."

I turned to find Zane leaning against the doorframe, shirtless as usual, his scarred torso a map of violence he had survived.

"I couldn't sleep," I said.

"Because of him?" Zane nodded toward the bed. "Or because of them?"

"Them," I admitted. "Bron and my father arrive at noon. I need to be ready."

"Ready to kill them?" He pushed off the frame and crossed to me. "Or ready to pretend you're still the broken girl they think you are?"

"Both." I met his burning gaze. "I need them to underestimate me. To think I'm still weak and powerless. Then, when they least expect it-"

"You tear out their throats," Zane finished with a wicked grin. "I like the way you think, little Phoenix."

"Don't call me that," I said, but there was no heat in it.

"Why not? It's what you are." He reached out, fingers trailing down my arm. The mate bond sparked between us-fire recognizing fire. "You're magnificent. Deadly. Everything they tried to destroy but couldn't."

"They did destroy me," I corrected. "They killed me, Zane. Cut my brakes and sent me off a cliff like I was nothing."

His expression darkened. "And you came back. That makes you more dangerous than they could ever imagine."

"I hope so." I turned back to the window. "Because if I fail-if they see through the act-"

"They won't," Avalon's voice cut through the room. I hadn't heard him enter, but suddenly he was there, filling the space with his cold authority. "You're stronger than you think, Zephyr. And you're not doing this alone."

"I have to face them alone," I argued. "If they see you hovering, they'll know something's changed."

"Then we won't hover," Osilus said, appearing behind Avalon. "We'll be close enough to intervene if needed, but far enough to let you handle it."

I looked at the three of them-my mates, my anchors, my unwanted salvation. "And what if I lose control? What if the Phoenix takes over and I burn them alive before I'm ready?"

"Then we pull you back," Avalon said simply. "That's what mates do."

"I don't need you to save me," I snapped.

"No," he agreed, stepping closer. "But you need us to trust you. And we do, Zephyr. So let us be there."

I wanted to argue, to insist I could do this alone. But the truth was, I was terrified. Not of Bron or my father, but of myself. Of what I might do when I saw them again.

"Fine," I said finally. "But stay out of sight unless I call for you."

"Agreed," all three said in unison.

They arrived exactly at noon. I watched from the window as the car pulled up, my heart was racing.

"Breathe," Osilus murmured from somewhere behind me. I couldn't see him, but I felt him through the bond.

The car door opened, and my father stepped out first.

Bruin Chance looked exactly as I remembered-tall, silver-haired, with a sharp jaw that hid a rotten core. He surveyed the Cary estate with calculating eyes, already assessing its worth.

Then Bron emerged, and rage flooded my veins so hot I nearly staggered.

He was smiling. That same smug, self-satisfied smile he'd worn when he'd told me Father needed my inheritance. When he'd sent me to my death without a second thought.

"Control it," Avalon's voice whispered through the bond. "Don't let them see."

I forced my face to remain calm as the front doors opened and they entered.

"Zephyr," my father said. "You look... different."

"I am enjoying my marriage father," I said while descending the stairs. I'd dressed for this. I wore a deep red dress that hugged my curves, my hair loose, and my makeup flawless. I looked nothing like the broken girl they'd known.

Bron's eyes raked over me, and something ugly flickered in his expression. "Sister. I'm surprised you're still here. I thought surely Alpha Cary would have tired of you by now."

"Why would he tire of his mate?" I asked, letting confusion color my tone. "We're bonded."

My father's eyes sharpened. "Bonded? But you're human. Humans don't bond with-"

"Apparently I'm not as human as we thought," I interrupted, watching their faces carefully. "It seems Mother's bloodline held some surprises."

Bron went very still. "What kind of surprises?"

"The kind that makes me valuable," I said, letting a small, cruel smile curve my lips. "The kind that means you can't touch me anymore."

"Is that a threat?" My father stepped forward, and I felt the mate bonds flare in warning. Somewhere in the estate, my three mates were poised to intervene.

But I held up a hand, a subtle signal to wait.

"It's a fact," I said calmly. "I'm under Alpha Cary's protection now. And his Beta's. And Alpha Zane's. Touch me, and you'll answer to all three of them."

The color drained from Bron's face. "Zane? As in Severus Zane? What does he..."

"He's my mate too," I said, and watched them both process that impossible information. "Surprised? So was I but apparently, that's what happens when you're a Lunar Phoenix."

The words hung in the air like a bomb.

My father recovered first, his expression shifting from shock to calculating greed. "A Lunar Phoenix. Do you have any idea what that means? The alliances we could forge, the power-"

"The power is mine," I cut him off. "Not yours. Never yours again."

"You ungrateful little..." Bron started forward, hand raised.

I didn't move ot flinch. I just let the Phoenix fire flare to life beneath my skin until my eyes glowed gold.

"Hit me," I said softly. "I dare you."

He froze, hand trembling in the air between us. For the first time in my life, I saw fear in my brother's eyes.

"That's what I thought," I said, and the fire slowly went out. "Now, shall we discuss why you're really here? Because we both know it's not to check on my wellbeing."

My father composed himself, smoothing his jacket. "We're here to discuss the inheritance. Your mother's estate should have transferred to you on your wedding day, but there are... complications."

"Complications," I repeated flatly. "You mean the offshore accounts Bron's been skimming from? The ones he thought I didn't know about?"

Bron's face went white. "How dare you..."

"I know everything," I lied, but the conviction in my voice sold it. "Every account, every transaction, every dirty deal you've made using Mother's money. Did you really think I wouldn't find out?"

"Zephyr," my father said, his tone rising. "You're playing a very dangerous game."

"No, Father." I stepped closer, letting him see the predator I'd become. "You played a dangerous game when you let Bron kill me. This? This is just me returning the favor."

The silence was deafening.

"What are you talking about?" My father asked. He was trying to figure out how much I knew, how much I could prove.

They stared at me like I'd grown a second head.

"She's lost her mind," my father said to no one in particular. "The bonding must have..."

"I'm not crazy," I said. "I'm going to make sure you both pay for what you did to me."

"Zephyr," Avalon's voice cut through the room as he emerged from the shadows. "That's enough."

But I was beyond stopping. The Phoenix fire roared through my veins, demanding justice, demanding blood.

"You used me," I hissed at my father. "Sold me to secure an alliance, never caring that Avalon would reject me, that his pack would treat me like dirt. You let me suffer for five years because my pain was worth less than your political power."

"All marriages are political," my father said coldly. "You were always too soft, too emotional. You should be grateful I found you any husband at all."

The fire exploded out of me before I could stop it.

Golden flames erupted from my hands, scorching the marble floor between us. My father and Bron stumbled back, terror stark on their faces as the temperature in the room spiked.

"Zephyr!" Osilus's called out.

But I couldn't stop. The rage, the grief, the years of humiliation, it all poured out in a torrent of Phoenix fire.

"You killed me," I screamed. "You threw me away like I was nothing!"

Arms banded around me from behind and I felt Avalon's ice crashing into my fire. The shock of it broke through my rage, and I gasped as the flames went out.

"Breathe," he commanded against my ear. "Zephyr, breathe."

I sucked in air, my whole body shaking. When I looked up, Bron and my father were pressed against the wall.

"Get out," Avalon said, his Alpha voice making the walls vibrate. "Now."

"This isn't over," my father said, but he was already backing toward the door. "You can't threaten us..."

"That wasn't a threat," I said, my voice hoarse. "That was a promise. You have until the end of the week to transfer Mother's full inheritance to me. Every account, every property, every cent. If you don't, I'll make sure the entire pack knows what you did. And then I'll let my mates tear you apart."

"You have no proof-"

"Try me!!!" I said.

After they left, later that night, I found myself unable to settle. The confrontation had left me wired, the Phoenix fire still simmering just beneath my skin.

I ended up in the training room, barefoot and still in my red dress, staring at the padded walls like they held answers.

"You couldn't sleep either?"

I turned to find Osilus in the doorway, wearing only sleep pants, his chest bare and his expression concerned.

"Every time I close my eyes, I see them," I admitted. "And I want to burn them alive."

"That's the Phoenix speaking," he said, crossing to me. "She wants justice. Vengeance."

"So do I," I said. "Is that wrong?"

"No." He stopped in front of me, close enough that I could feel his warmth. "They hurt you. Killed you. You're allowed to want them to pay."

"Avalon thinks they'll try to kill me again," I said. "Before I can expose them."

"Avalon's probably right," he agreed. "Which is why we're not letting you out of our sight."

"I don't need a babysitter," I started, but he cut me off with a gentle finger against my lips.

"Not a babysitter," he said softly. "A mate. Let me be here for you, Zephyr. The way I should have been before."

I looked up at him, seeing the regret and determination in his warm brown eyes. "You couldn't have stopped them."

"Maybe not," he said. "But I could have tried. Instead, I stood by and watched you suffer. That's not happening again."

The mate bond pulsed between us, warmer and steadier than Avalon's ice or Zane's fire. This was solid, dependable, safe.

"Stay with me tonight," I heard myself say. "I don't want to be alone."

"I thought you would never ask," he pulled me into his arms.

We stood there in the training room, holding each other as the moon rose over the forest. And for the first time since I'd come back, I let myself believe that maybe-just maybe-I didn't have to face this alone.

An envelope arrived three days later while I was in the study with Avalon, going over pack security protocols. Emma knocked and entered with a silver tray.

"This just arrived by courier, Miss Zephyr," she said, setting it down. "From the Chance estate."

My heart kicked against my ribs. Avalon looked at me.

"Thank you, Emma," I said, dismissing her with a nod.

The moment the door clicked shut, I tore open the envelope. Inside were legal documents, transfer papers, and a single key on a silver chain.

"They actually did it," I breathed, scanning the papers. "Everything. The accounts, the properties, My mother's entire estate."

"That was fast," Avalon said raising a brow.

"They're probably scared," I said, but unease coiled in my stomach. "Or they're planning something."

"It could be both." He picked up the key, examining it. "What's this for?"

"It's the key to my mother's private vault," I said, as the memories came back. "I'd completely forgotten about it."

"Forgotten?" His eyes sharpened. "Or you never knew it existed?"

I met his gaze. "In my first life, I never got the inheritance. They killed me before the transfer could happen. I never saw any of this."

"Then we need to see what's in that vault," he said.

"That's true." I gathered the papers, something pulling at my instincts. "But I want Zane with us."

He's face turned to a frown. "Why Zane?"

"Because if there's danger, I want someone who enjoys killing things," I said bluntly. "And because the mate bond is telling me I need him there."

He studied me for a long moment, then nodded. "I'll have him meet us at the manor in an hour."

The Delphine manor sat on the edge of Cary territory, a sprawling Gothic monstrosity that had belonged to my mother's family for generations. I hadn't been here since she died when I was twelve.

"Cheerful place," Zane drawled as we pulled up. He'd arrived on a black motorcycle, while wearing sleek black leather pants and jacket. "I love me some very 'haunted mansion murder mystery.'"

"My mother loved it," I said, stepping out of Avalon's car. The manor loomed above us, all dark stone and ivy-covered walls. "She said old things have power."

"She wasn't wrong," Zane said, coming to stand beside me. His hand found mine, and fire sparked between us. "I can feel magic here. Old magic."

"Phoenix magic," Avalon corrected, joining us. "Your mother was a Lunar Phoenix too, wasn't she?"

"I don't know," I admitted. "She died before she could tell me. Father always said it was an illness, but now..." I looked at the manor, seeing it with new eyes. "Now I wonder if he killed her too."

The thought settled like ice in my veins.

"Let's find out," Zane said, and we headed inside.

The manor was dusty and dark, with all the furniture covered in white sheets like ghosts. Our footsteps echoed through the empty halls.

"The vault is in her study," I said, leading them up the grand staircase. "Third floor, east wing."

My mother's study was surprisingly untouched by time. Books lined the walls, her desk sat exactly as she'd left it, and the fireplace still held the ashes of the last fire she'd burned.

"There," I pointed to the portrait above the mantle. "Behind my mother's painting."

Avalon moved the portrait aside, revealing a small safe built into the wall. I inserted the key, and the lock clicked open with a sound that felt like destiny.

Inside were three things: a leather journal, a wooden box, and a sealed letter addressed to me in my mother's handwriting.

My hands shook as I reached for the letter.

"Zephyr," it read. "If you're reading this, then I'm gone and you've finally claimed your inheritance. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you the truth while I lived. Sorry I couldn't protect you from what's coming. But know this-you are stronger than you know. The Phoenix bloodline runs true in you, and with it comes both power and peril."

I swallowed hard, continuing to read.

"The vampires will come for you, as they came for me. They need Phoenix blood to cure the curse that's killing them-a curse born from their own greed generations ago. They will try to capture you, breed you, use you as they tried to use me. Your father... he helped them once. He gave them my blood in exchange for political power. When I discovered his betrayal, I tried to leave, but the sickness took me before I could escape. It was no illness, Zephyr. It was poison. Bruin poisoned me to keep his secrets safe and to claim my estate for himself."

The paper crumpled in my grip. "He killed her," I whispered. "He killed my mother."

"Fuck," Zane breathed beside me.

Avalon's hand was on my shoulder. "Keep reading."

I forced my eyes back to the letter.

"In the wooden box, you'll find three vials of Phoenix blood-my blood. Use it wisely. Phoenix blood can heal, curse, and bind. The journal contains everything I learned about our bloodline, about the vampires, about the curse. Read it carefully. Trust your mates-yes, I know about the three-mate bond. It's the Phoenix way. Let them protect you, but never let them control you. You are a Delphine, Zephyr. We bow to no one. I love you, my darling girl. I'm sorry I couldn't stay to see the woman you'll become. But I know you'll be magnificent. Your mother, Lyanna Delphine."

Tears streamed down my face. I set the letter down with shaking hands and reached for the wooden box.

Inside, three crystal vials gleamed in the dim light, filled with blood that shimmered gold and silver.

"Phoenix blood," Avalon said quietly. "She preserved it somehow."

"For me," I said. "She knew I'd need it."

"What's in the journal?" Zane asked, already reaching for it.

"The vampire curse," I read aloud. "Originated three hundred years ago when the vampire queen tried to steal Phoenix power through a blood ritual. The ritual backfired, creating a wasting sickness that kills vampires slowly, painfully. Only Phoenix blood can cure it temporarily, but the cure requires regular doses. The vampires have been hunting Phoenixes to extinction, trying to find a permanent solution."

"And breeding them," Avalon said grimly, reading over my shoulder. "Creating a captive population."

"That's why they need me," I said, nausea rising. "Not just for my blood, but to create more Phoenixes they can harvest."

"Over my dead body," Zane growled.

I kept reading, flipping through pages of formulas and diagrams. Then I stopped, my blood running cold.

"What?" Avalon asked. "What is it?"

"The cure," I whispered. "The permanent cure. It's not just Phoenix blood. It requires..." I looked up at them with horror written on my face. "It requires a Phoenix to willingly reverse the curse and give their life force to break it."

"So they need you to sacrifice yourself," Zane said flatly. "That's not happening."

"There's more," I said, reading frantically. "My mother discovered something. The curse wasn't just random, it was tied to a specific bloodline. The vampire royal family and the only Phoenix who can break it is..." My voice failed.

"Is what?" Avalon demanded.

"A direct descendant of the Phoenix who created the curse," I finished. "Which is my mother's line. My bloodline."

The room fell silent except for my ragged breathing.

"That's why they came for your mother," Avalon said slowly. "And why they'll come for you."

"And why Father betrayed her," I said bitterly. "He knew what she was and what I'd be so he sold us both to the vampires for power."

"Then we kill him," Zane said simply. "Along with Bron before they can tell the vampires you exist."

"They already know," I said, pointing to a final entry in the journal. "Mother wrote this two days before she died. 'Bruin has sent word to the vampire court. They're coming for me. I've hidden the truth about Zephyr, made them think she's human. But once she awakens... they'll know. They'll feel her power and come for her just as they came for me. I can only pray she's stronger than I was. And her mates protect her where Bruin failed me.'"

I closed the journal, fury and grief rising in my chest. "She tried to protect me and my father still sold her out."

"We need to move fast," Avalon said, already thinking tactically. "If the vampires don't know about you yet..."

"They will soon," I interrupted. "The power I used against Bron and Father, that much Phoenix fire? They felt it and if they're smart, they'll realize what it means."

"How long do we have?" Zane asked.

"Days," I said. "Maybe a week if we're lucky."

"Then we use that time," Avalon said. "We train you harder and fortify the estate. Then we make sure your father and brother can't send word to anyone."

"I want them dead," I said, and the Phoenix fire flared beneath my skin. "For what they did to Mother. For what they tried to do to me."

"And in the meantime?" I asked.

"In the meantime," Zane said, moving closer, "you let us keep you safe. All three of us."

"I can keep myself safe," I argued, but without heat.

"Can you?" Zane challenged, circling me like he always did. "Because from where I'm standing, you just found out the vampires want to breed you like cattle, and your father murdered your mother, and you've got maybe a week before your entire world goes to hell. Forgive me if I think you could use some backup."

He wasn't wrong. As much as I hated admitting it, I was in over my head.

"Fine," I said. "But I'm still killing Bron myself."

"Wouldn't dream of taking that from you," Zane said, then caught my chin, tilting my face up. "But right now, you look like you're about to shatter. So here's what's going to happen. Avalon's going to take the journal and start making plans. And you and I are going to stay here and make sure you don't fall apart."

"I'm not going to..." I started, but the words died when I saw the concern in his burning eyes.

"Come here," Zane said, pulling me into his arms as soon as Avalon left.

I went, and the moment his warmth surrounded me, the dam broke.

I sobbed into his chest for my mother, for the life stolen from her, for the childhood I'd lost when she died. For everything Father had taken from both of us.

"I'm going to kill him," I choked out between sobs. "I'm going to make him suffer the way she suffered."

"I know," he murmured, stroking my hair. "And I'll help you. We all will."

That seemed to fan the mate bond between us and for the first time, I understood why fate had bound me to Zane. Because he understood the rage, the need for violence, the desire to watch your enemies burn.

"Kiss me," I said, surprising myself.

His eyes flared. "Zephyr-"

"I need to feel something other than grief," I interrupted. "Please, Zane. Make me feel alive."

He studied me for a long moment, then crushed his mouth to mine.

The kiss was nothing like Avalon's-no ice, no control. This was pure fire, consuming and wild. His tongue swept against mine as his hands fisted in my hair, and I gasped into his mouth.

The mate bond exploded between us, pleasure and pain and power all tangled together.

"Fuck," he groaned against my lips. "You taste like smoke and fury."

"Good," I panted, nails digging into his shoulders. "Don't stop."

He walked me backward until I hit the desk, then lifted me onto it. Papers scattered as he settled between my thighs, and I wrapped my legs around his waist.

"This is a bad idea," he said, even as his hands slid up my thighs, pushing my dress higher.

"I don't care," I said, yanking at his shirt. "I need this. I fucking need you."

He captured my mouth again, swallowing my moans as his fingers found the edge of my underwear. "Tell me to stop, and I will."

"Don't you dare stop," I commanded, and the Alpha tone in my voice made him grin.

"There's my Phoenix," he said, then tore my underwear off in one sharp movement.

I cried out, more from surprise than pain, but he swallowed the sound with another bruising kiss. His fingers slid through my wetness, and he groaned.

"So fucking wet already," he said against my lips. "Are you wet because of me or the bond?"

"Both," I admitted, because lying seemed pointless when I could feel his desire through the mate connection.

He pushed two fingers inside me, and I arched off the desk. "Zane..."

"Say my name again," he demanded, pumping his fingers slowly. "Let me hear you."

"Zane," I gasped as he added a third finger, stretching me. "Please..."

"Please what?" He curled his fingers, hitting something inside me that made stars burst behind my eyelids. "Use your words, little Phoenix."

"Fuck me," I demanded. "Now."