LYRA

My knees scraped against the concrete, and pain kept moving through my side. I tried to crawl, but my arms shook badly, and my body refused to obey me.

The shadow moved closer.

“Please,” I whispered. “I will sign it. I will sign anything.”

The figure did not respond, instead he raised his blade higher, and I screamed.

But the sound barely came out. Before the knife could reach me, a loud crack came from behind him. The man holding the blade flew backward and hit the wall with a heavy thud.

I stared in shock.

Another figure stepped out of the darkness.

Tall. Broad. Calm.

The second attacker rushed forward. He did not even finish raising his weapon. The stranger grabbed his wrist and twisted it until the bone snapped. The scream that followed was short.

The man dropped to the ground, shaking.

“Leave,” the stranger said quietly.

The third attacker hesitated.

“Now,” he repeated, and they ran.

I sat frozen on the ground, my chest heaving.

The stranger turned to me.

I could not see his face clearly, but I felt him. The aura around him felt dominant. He must be an Alpha.

“You are bleeding,” he said.

“I know,” I replied weakly.

“Can you stand?”

“No.”

He crouched in front of me. His eyes were silver under the light.

“They sent people after you,” he said. “You understand that, yes.”

“Darius,” I whispered.

“Yes.”

My vision began to blur again. “I did not sign the papers.”

“I know.”

“How?” I asked.

“You are not invisible,” he replied.

My head spun. “Are you here to finish it?”

“No.”

“Then why,” I asked.

He studied me for a moment. “Because I was curious.”

“Curious about what?” I whispered.

“How an omega survived what should have killed her.”

I tried to laugh. “Congratulations. I am still dying.”

He stood and lifted me easily into his arms.

I protested weakly. “Put me down.”

“You will pass out soon,” he said. “Arguing wastes time.”

“I do not know you.”

“You will.”

The world tilted, and the last thing I heard was the sound of footsteps and my own breathing fading.

---

When I woke up, I expected pain.

Instead, I felt warmth.

I opened my eyes slowly.

The room was dark but clean, and the smell around me was unfamiliar. It certainly wasn't a hospital.

I tried to move and hissed.

“You are awake,” a voice said.

I turned my head.

He sat in a chair near the wall, with his arms crossed.

“You should not move yet,” he added.

“Where am I?” I asked.

“Safe.”

“That is vague.”

“It is intentional.”

I swallowed. “Did you bring me here?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

He stood and walked closer. “You were going to die.”

“I am still dying.”

“No,” he replied. “You are stabilizing.”

“Who are you?” I asked.

“My name is Kael.”

“Kael,” I repeated. “That means nothing to me.”

“It will.”

I tried to sit up. He placed a hand on my shoulder and pushed me back gently.

“Don’t do that,” he said. “Your stitches are still fragile.”

“You know about the surgery,” I said.

“I know everything,” he replied.

“That is not comforting.”

“It wasn't supposed to be.”

I stared at him. “Are you an Alpha?”

“Yes.”

“Which pack?”

“Shadowfang.”

My breath almost left my lungs. Everyone knew that name.

“You are lying,” I said.

“No.”

“You would have killed me already.”

“If I wanted you dead, you would not be awake.”

That shut me up.

“Why save me then?” I asked.

He looked at me closely. “Because Darius doesn't get to erase anyone he wants. He's not that powerful.”

“You hate him,” I said.

“Yes.”

“For personal reasons.”

“Yes.”

I nodded slowly. “So this is revenge.”

“Partly.”

“And the rest,” I asked.

“You interest me.”

I frowned. “I am an omega with one kidney and no pack.”

“You are an omega who survived betrayal, surgery, and an assassination attempt,” he replied.

“That is nothing.”

Silence stretched between us.

“Did you kill them?” I asked quietly.

“No.”

“You let them go.”

“I wanted Darius to know.”

“Know what?”

“That he failed.”

My fingers curled into the sheets. “He will try again.”

“Yes.”

Fear settled in my chest. “I cannot fight him.”

“You do not have to,” Kael replied. “Not alone.”

I looked at him. “What do you want from me?”

He did not hesitate. “Loyalty.”

“I have nothing left.”

“You have rage,” he said. “That is enough.”

“I do not want to belong to anyone again.”

He leaned closer. “You already do.”

I stiffened. “Excuse me.”

“You are in my territory,” he said calmly. “Under my protection. Nothing touches you unless I allow it.”

“That sounds like another cage.”

“Every safe place has walls.”

“I want my freedom.”

“You want to live,” he replied. “Freedom comes later.”

I stared at the ceiling. “Darius wants me dead.”

“Yes.”

“And you want him destroyed.”

“Yes.”

I turned back to him. “So I am useful.”

His eyes darkened slightly. “You are not disposable.”

“That is new.”

“You will work with me,” he continued. “You will listen. You will learn.”

“And if I refuse.”

“You leave,” he said. “And you die.”

I closed my eyes.

My life for his war.

Again.

“Do I have a choice?” I asked.

“You always have a choice,” he replied. “Some choices just end badly.”

I opened my eyes. “If I agree.”

“You live,” he said. “You get stronger. And when the time comes, you will watch Darius fall.”

My chest tightened.

I thought of the knife.

The trash bags.

The door is closing.

“I will not be weak again,” I said.

“Good,” Kael replied. “Weakness irritates me.”

I met his gaze. “I am not your property.”

“No,” he said. “But you are my responsibility now.”

“That sounds worse.”

A corner of his mouth lifted slightly. “You will get used to it.”

I exhaled slowly. “Then tell me the truth.”

“What truth.”

“Why me?”

He stared at me for a long moment. Then he said quietly, “Because whatever blood runs through you refused to let you die.”

A chill moved through me.

“You feel it too, do you not?” he added. “That pull. That pressure.”

I swallowed. “I thought it was fear.”

“No,” he said. “That is power waking up.”

My heart raced.

“You belong in my world now, Lyra,” Kael said. “And if you want revenge, you will cooperate.”

I nodded once.

“I will,” I said. “But I am not doing this for you.”

“I know,” he replied. “You are doing it for yourself.”

And for the first time since the surgery, I felt something else beneath the pain.

Not hope.

Hunger.

~ KAEL ~

I watched her sleep.

It wasn't something I usually did. I didn't linger, I didn't hesitate. I moved, I struck, and I left.

But Lyra Hale was different.

She was curled up on the guest bed, buried under the grey duvet. Her breathing was even now, but her hands were still clenched into fists against the pillow. Even in her sleep, she was fighting.

Good.

She would need that fight.

I turned away and walked out of the room, leaving the door slightly ajar. The hallway was quiet. My penthouse was always quiet. Silence wasn't empty to me; it was tactical. It meant I could hear threats before they arrived.

I walked into the kitchen and poured myself a glass of water. My knuckles were still sore from the alley.

Three men. Darius’s clean-up crew.

Sloppy.

Darius was getting arrogant. He thought he could discard a wife like a used napkin and no one would notice. He thought the world stopped and started at his command.

He was wrong.

I took a sip of water and looked out at the city skyline. The rain had stopped, leaving the streets below glistening and black. Somewhere out there, Darius was celebrating. He was likely with Selene, toasting to their "victory."

They had no idea what they’d just unleashed.

I didn't save Lyra out of charity. I wasn't a savior. I was a predator just like them. But when I saw her in that alley—broken, bleeding, yet still trying to crawl away, I felt it.

A pulse.

Not a heartbeat, something else. Something ancient.

Most omegas were static. They were soft, pliable, and designed to blend into the background. Lyra wasn't static. Even when she was weak, the air around her hummed with potential.

Darius was too blind to see it. He looked at her and saw a spare part. I looked at her and saw a weapon.

My phone buzzed on the counter.

I picked it up.

Marcus: “The bodies are handled. No traces.”

I deleted the message.

I set the glass down and leaned against the counter. Lyra had agreed to the alliance, but she didn't understand what that truly meant yet. She thought we were just going to share information. She thought she could hide here until she healed.

That wasn't enough.

Darius would come for her. Once he realized his men hadn't reported back, he’d send more. He’d burn the city down to cover his tracks.

I needed a shield. A legal, undeniable shield that would make touching her an act of war against the entire Shadowfang pack.

I needed to claim her.

Not as a mate.

As a wife.

The thought left a bitter taste in my mouth. Marriage was a trap. I learned that lesson years ago, and I had the scars to prove it.

But this wouldn't be a marriage. It would be a merger.

I heard a sound from the hallway. A soft creak of floorboards.

I didn't turn around. "You should be resting."

Silence. Then the soft shuffle of bare feet.

"I woke up," she said. Her voice was raspy.

I turned then.

She was standing in the doorway of the kitchen, wrapped in the oversized shirt I’d left for her. It hung off her small frame, emphasizing how frail she looked. Her skin was pale, her eyes dark and hollow.

But she was standing.

"You need water," I said.

I grabbed another glass, filled it, and slid it across the island.

She walked over slowly. Every step looked like it cost her something. She took the glass with trembling hands and drank greedily.

When she finished, she set the glass down and looked at me. "What happens now?"

"Now," I said, crossing my arms, "we secure your position."

"I'm in your house," she said. "Isn't that secure?"

"It's a hiding spot. Hiding spots are temporary."

"So what do you suggest?"

"Darius thinks you're dead," I said. "Or he will, for another few hours. When he finds out you're alive, he’ll panic. He’ll use every legal and illegal channel to get to you. He’ll claim you're mentally unstable. He’ll claim you're his runaway wife who needs medical attention."

Her face hardened. "I'll tell them the truth."

"Who?" I asked. "The police? They're on his payroll. The media? He owns half of it."

"So I'm helpless."

"No," I said. "You're vulnerable. There's a difference."

I walked around the island until I was standing in front of her. She had to look up at me, but she held her ground.

"You need a status that overrides his," I said.

"I'm an omega. I have no status."

"You do if you belong to a higher Alpha."

She narrowed her eyes. "I told you. I'm not a property."

"And I told you this is business."

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. I didn't plan this. I didn't buy it for her. It was an old family ring, something I kept in the safe for emergencies.

This was an emergency.

I placed it on the counter between us.

She stared at it. "What's that?"

"Protection," I said.

"It looks like a ring."

"It is."

She looked up at me, confusion warring with suspicion. "You want to marry me?"

"I want to contract you," I corrected.

"That sounds like a business deal."

"It is."

I rested my hands on the counter. "Listen to me, Lyra. If you're just a stray omega I picked up, Darius can come here and demand I hand you over. Pack law says a husband has rights over his wife."

Her face paled.

"But," I continued, "if you're the fiancée of the Shadowfang Alpha... he can't touch you. To touch you would be a declaration of war."

She stared at the ring. "He's still my husband."

"The papers he forced you to sign," I said. "Did you sign them?"

"No."

"Good. But we can file for an annulment based on fraud and abuse. My lawyers are already drafting it. But we need a bridge. We need to show that you're under my protection immediately."

"A fake engagement," she whispered.

"A public one."

She let out a short, shaky breath. "You barely know me."

"I know you have a reason to destroy him. That's enough for me."

"And what do you get out of this?" she asked. "Besides pissing him off."

"I get his territory," I said simply. "When he falls, I absorb his assets. His pack. His power."

"So I'm a key."

"You're the battering ram."

She looked at the ring again. The diamond was dark, set in black gold. It looked heavy. It looked dangerous.

"You said you don't believe in love," she said.

"I don't."

"Then this will be easy for you."

"It'll be efficient."

She reached out and picked up the box. Her fingers brushed against the velvet.

"Contract marriage," she murmured. "Rules?"

"No feelings," I said. "No delusions. We share a goal, we share a roof. Outside, we're a united front. Inside, we're allies."

"And when it's over?"

"We dissolve it. You walk away with half his fortune and your freedom."

She opened the box. The ring glinted under the kitchen lights.

"Why do I feel like I'm signing another deal with a devil?" she asked.

"Because you are," I said. "But this devil is on your side."

She looked at me then. Her hazel eyes were sharp, intelligent. She wasn't the scared girl in the alley anymore; she was calculating.

"Okay," she said.

She took the ring out. It was too big for her finger, but she slid it on anyway. It spun loosely.

"I accept," she said.

I nodded. "Good."

"But Kael?"

"What?"

She looked down at the ring, then back at me.

"If you betray me," she said, her voice dropping to a whisper that carried more weight than a scream. "If you turn out to be like him... I won't just leave."

She stepped closer, invading my space.

"I'll burn your city down with me."

I felt a smile tug at the corner of my lips. It wasn't a nice smile.

"I look forward to it," I said.

I turned and walked toward the door.

"Get dressed," I threw over my shoulder. "We have an announcement to make."

"Now?" she asked, panic flaring in her voice.

I stopped and looked back.

"Darius is hosting a gala tonight to celebrate his sister's recovery," I said.

Her eyes widened.

"It'd be rude of us not to crash it.”