Chapter 2

"Leave me! Let me go, you monsters!"

I slammed my fists repeatedly against the guard's broad back, but it was like beating on solid stone. He carried me effortlessly over his massive shoulder, walking down the dim subterranean hallway of the auction house as if I weighed nothing more than a ragdoll.

Desperate, I kicked my legs wildly, trying to land a blow against his ribs or throat. "Put me down!"

A sharp spike of pain shot through my knuckles. My hands were swollen and throbbing, but the guard didn't even flinch. He didn't groan, didn't slow down, didn't acknowledge my frantic struggles in the slightest.

Exhaustion pulled at my limbs. Panting, I let my bruised hands fall against his heavy leather jacket.

He pushed through a heavy steel exit door, emerging into a private underground garage lined with black armored SUVs. Without a word, he opened the rear door of the central vehicle and tossed me unceremoniously onto the leather seat.

Scrambling across the upholstery, I lunged for the door frame before it could shut. "No-"

Slam!

The heavy door snapped shut in my face with a deafening metallic thud.

"Let me go!" I shrieked, pounding my chained fists against the bulletproof tinted glass. "Let me out! Please!"

The locks clicked into place with finality.

I slumped against the window, warm tears tracking through the grime and dried blood on my cheeks. My entire body shook with violent tremors. My parents... What were they doing right now? My dad had probably called the garage, worried sick. My mother was probably crying at the kitchen table, wondering why her only daughter hadn't come home.

Why did I ever agree to take that shift? Why did I step into that VVIP room?

I pulled my knees against my chest, closing my eyes tight, the memory of that fateful night clawing its way back to the surface.

Two nights ago, after my shift at The Obsidian Lounge finally ended, the city streets had been quiet and drenched in a light drizzle.

I walked briskly down the dim alley toward the bus stop, my coat pulled tight against the damp air. My mind was still spinning from the encounter in the private chamber. Those piercing, molten-gold eyes. That deep, terrifying voice telling me that nothing was going to be alright.

I was so consumed by the memory that I didn't hear the approaching vehicle until its high beams blinded me.

Tires screeched. A sleek black sedan swung around the corner, blocking the exit of the alley.

Four heavily built men stepped out immediately, their expressions predatory and cold.

"There she is," one of them rasped, moving to flank me. "Grab her."

Panic exploded in my veins. "Stay back!"

Before the first man could reach for my collar, I reached into my coat pocket, whipped out my keychain pepper spray, and aimed directly for his eyes.

A sharp hiss of pressurized aerosol cut through the alley. The man screamed, clutching his face and stumbling backward.

The second man lunged. Driven purely by adrenaline, I drove my heel hard into his knee, snapping his balance, then swung my heavy leather tote bag right into the third man's nose with a sickening crunch.

I scrambled backward toward the main road, gasping for air, fighting with everything I had.

Then the sedan's rear door opened.

A younger man in a designer Italian suit stepped out, stepping over his blinded goon with sheer irritation. Luca Romano.

"Useless idiots," he sneered. "Can't even handle one little waitress."

Before I could turn to run, the two remaining men grabbed me from behind, pinning my arms violently behind my back. I thrashed, trying to kick free, but their grips were vice-like.

Luca strolled toward me, his lips curling into an arrogant smirk. "You put up a nice fight, sweet cheeks."

Without warning, his hand snapped across my face.

The force of the slap whipped my head sideways, splitting my lip and sending stars bursting across my vision.

"Listen to me carefully," Luca whispered, stepping close enough that I could smell the stale alcohol on his breath. "You're coming with us. I'll pay you handsomely for your time, and maybe if you behave, I'll let you go by morning."

Disgust burned through the pain in my cheek. I spit the blood out onto the toe of his leather shoe and stared straight into his eyes. "I'd rather rot in hell than let your filthy hands touch me."

His expression twisted with pure rage. "You little bitch-"

He raised his hand to strike me again.

Crack!

A single, suppressed gunshot echoed sharply down the alley.

A red bloom erupted in the center of Luca's forehead. His eyes froze, his smirk instantly dying as his knees buckled. He collapsed forward onto the wet asphalt, lifeless.

The two men holding me froze in shock. "Mr. Romano...!"

Out from the deep shadows of the alley, slow, deliberate footsteps approached.

A towering silhouette emerged under the flickering streetlamp, holding a silenced pistol with steady, terrifying precision.

My breath caught in my throat.

The man from the VVIP lounge.

His golden eyes burned with lethal calm in the darkness, fixed directly on the men holding me.

One of the guards went pale, his voice trembling with sheer terror. "M-Mr. Blackthorn...!"

Before either of them could pull a weapon or turn to flee, Zayden Blackthorn raised his arm.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Three precise shots. Three bodies dropped to the wet concrete within seconds.

The sudden violence, the metallic stench of fresh blood, the terrifying efficiency with which four lives were snuffed out in front of me-it shattered whatever composure I had left. A piercing scream ripped from my throat.

Zayden lowered his gun, his piercing gaze locking onto my trembling form as he took a step forward.

"Serena-" he started, his voice low and commanding.

I didn't wait for him to finish.

Terror took over. I spun around, scrambled over the wet pavement, and ran for my life into the night.

I had recognized the whispers from the underground. The rumors that terrified the city. He wasn't just a wealthy customer. He was Zayden Blackthorn-the ruthless Mafia boss who ruled the shadows.

The vibration of the SUV's engine starting jerked me violently back to reality.

I looked out through the dark window. The auction house was disappearing behind us as the vehicle accelerated up a private ramp and into the night.

I had run with everything I had that night, yet here I was-locked inside his vehicle, bound in heavy chains, purchased for ten million dollars.

The partition between the front and rear seats lowered silently.

Sitting in the adjacent seat in the shadows, his presence overwhelming the entire space, was Zayden Blackthorn.

His golden eyes glowed in the dim interior light as he leaned slightly forward, resting his forearms on his knees.

"You should have known," he murmured, his deep voice sending shivers straight down my spine. "No one escapes me twice."

Chapter 3

A faint, mocking smirk touched my lips as I watched her curl into a tight ball against the leather seat of my Maybach.

Defeated. Bruised. Shivering.

Her wrists were locked in heavy steel links, resting against her chest. The metal clinked with every shuddering breath she took. She kept her face turned toward the dark, rain-streaked window, pretending she could find an escape in the glass, but she knew as well as I did: the cage was already shut.

Inside my chest, Night paced violently, his phantom claws raking against my ribs.

"Mine," the beast snarled, a low, possessive rumble vibrating in my veins. "Take the iron off her. She bleeds. Break the hands of every man who touched her."

Down, I commanded internally, forcing the golden flare behind my pupils into a controlled, smoldering amber. She is already ours.

I leaned back into the shadows of the custom interior, swirling the amber liquor in my glass as the city lights blurred outside.

Two nights ago, my existence had been governed by absolute, cold precision.

The private salon at The Obsidian Lounge had been filled with men who foolishly believed they ruled the city. A handful of arrogant human mobsters sat across from me, while my own Wolf warriors stood guard along the perimeter in dark tailored suits. To the humans, it was just a high-stakes territory negotiation with a reclusive billionaire. Foolish creatures. They honestly believed human syndicates governed this world, completely oblivious to the ancient predators breathing the same air.

They needed a constant reminder of reality: whether in the blood-drenched human Mafia underworld or the savage supernatural hierarchy of the Wolf packs, only one name held absolute dominion.

Alpha King Zayden Blackthorn.

I had been listening to their tedious demands with pure boredom-until the heavy mahogany doors clicked open.

The atmosphere in the room shifted instantly.

The scent hit me first: sweet and sharp, carrying traces of wild vanilla, rain, and fresh earth. Every primal instinct inside me snapped wide awake. Night raised his head, letting out a soundless howl of pure recognition.

I looked up.

She was petite, fragile, and entirely human. She wore a simple black waitress uniform, her dark hair pinned back, carrying a silver tray with a delicate grace that had no place in a den of ruthless killers. She was innocent. Weak.

And she was utterly terrified.

Because of my Alpha blood, the chaotic flood of her racing thoughts filtered straight into my mind like a clear broadcast.

Just stay calm. Don't look at his eyes. You can do this.

Her pulse was thumping like the frantic heartbeat of a trapped bird. When she reached the head of the table to pour my bourbon, her hands trembled so hard the neck of the crystal decanter rattled against the rim of my glass.

A dark amusement curled in my chest. I fixed my eyes onto hers and answered the panic in her head:

"Nothing here is going to be alright, little bird."

Her ocean-blue eyes flared with shock, wide and breathtaking, before she quickly pulled back.

Across the table, Luca Romano-the lecherous, arrogant son of rival boss Victor Romano-leaned back, watching her hips with open disgust.

"Damn, Blackthorn," Luca sneered, running his tongue over his teeth. "Forget the territory cut. Send that little piece of ass to my room for the night, and we've got a deal. I'll make sure she learns how to serve properly."

A murderous wave of heat surged up my spine. Night roared inside my skull, ready to rip Luca's throat out across the table and tear the room apart.

Serena, however, kept her chin lifted. "I am here to serve drinks, sir, not entertain guests," she replied, her voice cold and steady despite the tremble in her fingers. She bowed stiffly and turned, exiting the chamber.

I knew scum like Luca. A rejection from an ordinary waitress would only make him hunt her down.

The moment the door closed behind her, I subtly signaled Adrian.

The greatest privilege of ruling the global underworld is that no corner remains dark. Within ten minutes, her complete dossier appeared on my encrypted phone: Serena Morgan. Twenty-two. University student. Daughter of a broke mechanic. Working graveyard shifts to pay her own tuition. Pure. Untouched.

And suddenly, the center of my entire focus.

Night was scratching at the surface, desperate to break through. "She is in danger! The stench of rot is following her!"

I held back the transformation and stepped into the damp alley behind the lounge just as Luca and three of his men trapped her against the brick wall.

I watched from the shadows, fully expecting the human girl to beg. Instead, she fought like a cornered wildcat-blinding one with pepper spray, cracking another's knee, and smashing her heavy bag right into a third man's nose before Luca grabbed her by the hair and slapped her across the face.

The sharp crack of his palm against her skin shattered my restraint.

I drew my silenced weapon and stepped out of the dark.

One clean bullet through Luca Romano's skull. Three more into his men before they could even draw their guns.

Fresh blood pooled on the asphalt. I lowered the barrel and took a step toward her, intending to bring her into my care, away from the blood feud that Luca's death would inevitably ignite.

"Serena-" I began.

She looked at the corpses, looked at the gun in my hand, let out a terrified scream, and sprinted into the rain.

I hadn't chased her. I had simply watched her run, a dark, breathless chuckle escaping my throat.

She ran.

No one ran from me. Powerful Alphas knelt in my presence; billionaire mobsters begged for mercy; women threw themselves into my path. Yet this tiny, fragile human had looked at me and run for her life.

She made herself my obsession.

When Victor Romano's underground scouts intercepted her two days later and put her on an auction block to sell her off as revenge, they didn't realize they were playing with fire.

I let the bids climb, listening to the pocket change being tossed around, until that fat pig in the front row opened his mouth to insult her.

Ten million dollars silenced the entire hall in a single breath.

Now, sitting across from her in the vehicle, I set my glass down. The smell of her dried blood was driving Night wild, but my human mind savored the absolute victory of this moment.

"You ran once," I murmured, leaning forward so the amber glow of my eyes cut through the shadows, holding her trapped in place. "Look at me, Serena."

She flinched at the sound of her name. Slowly, she turned her bruised, tear-stained face toward me. There was terror in her eyes, but underneath it, a fierce spark of defiance still burned.

"What do you want from me?" she whispered, her voice shaking as she lifted her chained hands toward me. "You killed those men... and now you buy me like an animal? Who are you? Just let me go back to my family!"

The corner of my mouth tilted upward. I reached out, my gloved fingers catching her chin and tilting it upward, forcing her to hold my gaze.

"Your family can't protect you from the war that started the night you witnessed Luca's death," I said softly, my voice smooth and lethal. "And you don't belong to the streets anymore, little bird."

"I am not your property!" she choked out, trying to pull her chin from my grasp, the chains rattling furiously between us. "I don't care how much money you threw at that stage! I want to go home!"

"You have no home out there anymore," I replied, my grip firm, unyielding, yet carefully controlled so as not to bruise her further. "From the moment you caught my eye, your fate was sealed. You won't run again."