Mag-log inCHAPTER TWO:
The Mercedes glides to a stop inside a garage that looks like a luxury car showroom. I count at least eight vehicles as the engine cuts off. A Lamborghini. Two Ferraris. An Aston Martin. Each one probably worth more than everything I've ever owned combined. Jesus Christ. Who is this man? The driver opens De León's door. He steps out with fluid grace, then turns back to me, extending a hand. "Come." I cross my arms and glare at him. "No." His jaw tightens slightly, but his voice remains calm. "Elena..." "You have no right to bring me here!" The words explode out of me. "Where even is this place?" "This is my house." He says it like it's obvious. "One of many. And this is where you'll be staying from now on." "Never." I spit the word at him. "You can't force me to..." "Come down from the car." He interrupts me, voice still maddeningly calm. "What if I don't?" "Then I'll carry you out." I lift my chin defiantly. "You won't do that." He's already reaching for me, hands moving to scoop me up. "Okay! Okay!" I scramble backward. "I'll come down." I climb out on my own, deliberately avoiding his offered hand, and roll my eyes hard enough that it probably looks like I'm having a seizure. The second my feet hit the ground, I understand exactly how screwed I am. The house, no, the fortress is massive. High concrete walls topped with security cameras. Armed men in tactical gear stationed at intervals. The main building itself is modern and sprawling, all glass and steel and wealth. This man isn't just powerful. He's untouchable. And that means escaping is going to be nearly impossible. The thought makes my chest tight with panic. His hand settles lightly at the small of my back, guiding me toward the entrance. I want to shove it off, but the touch sends heat racing through me. My traitorous wolf purrs at the contact. What is wrong with me? The front door opens before we reach it, of course it does, probably biometric security or some shit, and we step into a foyer that's bigger than my uncle's entire house. Then he leads me into the living room and I forget to breathe. It's enormous. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking mountains in the distance. Furniture that's clearly custom-made, all clean lines and expensive leather. Art on the walls that might be originals. Everything is pristine, beautiful, cold. Like him. "Come," he says, heading toward a sweeping staircase. "Let me show you to your room." "No." I plant my feet. He pauses, turns back. Raises an eyebrow. "I don't want to stay here." My voice cracks slightly. I hate that it does. "Please. Just... just take me back home." He studies me for a long moment, then walks to a small bar in the corner. Pours himself vodka from a crystal decanter. Takes a slow sip, one hand sliding into his pocket. Just watching me. The silence stretches. I shift uncomfortably under that amber-tinged stare. "Do you really want to risk going back to your uncle?" he finally asks, voice soft. Dangerous. "The one who gave you to us?" "I have a life!" The words burst out. "I have friends. My...my boyfriend is probably worried sick. I have school to attend. You can't just bring me to this fucking house and expect me to abandon everything!" The change is instantaneous. His entire body goes rigid. The glass in his hand cracks...actually cracks, under the sudden pressure of his grip. His eyes flash full amber. Then he moves. One second he's across the room. The next he's in front of me. Super speed. Oh god, he's an Alpha. A real Alpha. "Do not push me, little one." His voice is barely human now, rough with his wolf. "I am not a kind man. And I certainly don't share what's mine." "I'm not some commodity!" I shove at his chest, it's like shoving a brick wall. "I have a boyfriend, old man, so just leave me alo..." I don't get to finish the sentence. His hand wraps around my throat,.not squeezing, just holding, and he yanks me forward. His mouth crashes onto mine. The kiss is rough. Demanding. Possessive. His other hand tangles in my hair, holding me in place. I hear his men deliberately turn away, giving us privacy we absolutely do not have. I try to shove him off. Can't. He catches both my wrists in one large hand, pinning them between us. Bite him. I sink my teeth into his lower lip. He doesn't even flinch. Just keeps kissing me like I didn't do anything. I bite harder and then I taste blood Finally, he pulls back slightly. The second he loosens his grip, I rear back and slap him as hard as I can. The crack echoes through the massive room. Every single person present gasps. His head snaps to the side from the force. When he looks back at me, there's blood trickling from his split lip. "You slapped me." He sounds almost surprised. "Yes." I'm shaking, fear or adrenaline or both. "And I'll do it again if you come any closer." For a heartbeat, nobody moves. Nobody breathes. Then he smirks. Actually smirks, wiping the blood from his mouth with his thumb. "Pequeña loba," he murmurs, voice dropping to something dark and promising. "Let's see how loud you scream when I'm inside you." "What..." He grabs my wrist and starts dragging me toward the stairs. "No! Let go!" I dig my heels in, but I might as well be trying to stop a freight train. "Señor," one of his men starts nervously. "Fuera. Todos." Out. Everyone. They scatter. "I said let go!" I punch his arm. His back. Anywhere I can reach. He doesn't even acknowledge it. Just keeps walking. When we reach the stairs, I throw all my weight backward, trying to break free. In one smooth motion, he bends and tosses me over his shoulder like I weigh nothing. "Put me down!" I'm screaming now, beating my fists against his back. "You can't do this! I'll...I'll call the police! I'll..." "There is no police here, querida." He starts climbing the stairs, completely unbothered by my struggling. "There's only me. And you're mine." "I'm not yours!" Another punch to his back. It's like hitting steel. "I don't even know you! You're just some old man who..." His hand comes down on my ass. Hard. I yelp, more from shock than pain. "That mouth of yours is going to get you in trouble," he says calmly, still climbing. "But don't worry. I know exactly how to make good use of it." "You bastard..." He spanks me again. "Keep talking, pequeña loba. Every word adds another hour to what I'm about to do to you." "I hate you!" I'm hitting his back with both fists now, kicking my legs. "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you..." "Bueno." Good. His hand slides possessively over my thigh. "Hate me all you want. You're still going to come apart on my tongue." My face burns. "You're insane!" "Sí." Yes. "About you." We reach the top of the stairs. A long hallway stretches ahead, lined with doors. He carries me down it, still completely unbothered by my fighting. "Which room?" I gasp out between punches. "Which one so you can lock me up like the monster you are?" He stops in front of a door at the very end of the hall. "This one," he says. Then adds, almost conversationally, "It's soundproof." My stomach drops. The door swings open. He steps inside. And the last thing I see before he kicks it shut behind us is the knowing look one of his guards gives another down the hallway. The lock clicks. I'm trapped. With him. And the promise in his amber eyes says he has absolutely no intention of letting me leave this room until I understand exactly who I belong to.CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SEVENTwo pitch-black, armored SUVs ground to a heavy halt right in front of the grand stone steps of the City Hall. Even through the darkly tinted, reinforced glass windows of the vehicle, the chaos outside was loud and overwhelming. A massive, aggressive wall of media reporters and independent journalists had already gathered tightly around the perimeter, their microphones raised like weapons. The blinding, chaotic flash of camera lights struck the dark glass in rapid, rhythmic bursts, creating a dizzying, strobe-like effect inside the quiet cabin.I took a deep, steadying breath, my fingers tightening nervously around my seatbelt. Seraphina glanced over at me, her ice-blue eyes completely calm, a reassuring nod passing between us before the security team threw the heavy doors open.The moment my boots hit the pavement, the raw noise of the crowd hit us like a physical wave. The reporters immediately began blurring out a chaotic storm of invasive, hig
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SIXSeraphina took a slow, methodical bite of the meal on the table, her movements perfectly composed despite the high-stakes execution hanging over our heads. Elena did the same, forcing the food down her tight throat, and so did Dante. We were all silently preparing for the war ahead. This was going to be a brutal boardroom war that was about to go down in a matter of hours, a calculated trap designed to dismantle centuries of manipulation in one swift motion.The fragile quiet of the dining room shattered instantly when Rafael ran back toward the table, his breath slightly shallow and his face tight with tension."There has been a little development, boss," Rafael said, stopping right at the edge of the mahogany wood.Dante didn't drop his fork, but his dark eyes instantly locked onto his assistant. "What is going on, Rafael?""They have just completely shifted the venue for the final administrative auditing," Rafael explained rapidly, adjusting his
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVEDe Vaughn sat in the dimly lit living room of his private residence, the sleek silver chassis of his laptop resting heavily on his thighs. The soft blue glow from the monitor screen illuminated his sharp, ancient features, casting long, calculated shadows across his face as his fingers flew across the keyboard. He was deep into an encrypted directory, carefully combing through a highly classified file concerning the core assets of the Diamond Group, searching for the slightest operational vulnerability to exploit.A sudden, sharp knock broke the quiet atmosphere of the room."Come in," De Vaughn stated smoothly, without shifting his gaze from the screen.The heavy door creaked open, and Victoria walked into the room. De Vaughn’s dark eyes flicked up to track her entrance, and he instantly rolled his eyes with an irritated, superior sigh."You are late," he said, his voice dripping with a cold, aristocratic impatience as he snapped his laptop shut a
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FOUR Dante smirked, a dark, razor-sharp expression that sent an icy chill straight down my spine. He leaned down further into Victoria’s personal space, completely unbothered by the metallic tang of blood filling the humid air of the warehouse."Surprised, aren't you?" he purred, his low, rumbling voice dripping with an absolute, mocking satisfaction. "That is the ultimate problem with being a petty corporate spy, Victoria. No matter how much you think you know, no matter how many files you steal from an executive desk, you still do not know everything."Before the words could even fully register in her mind, Dante’s hand shot forward, delivering a brutal, open-handed slap across her face. The physical impact sounded like a gunshot echoing off the damp concrete walls, violently jerking her head to the side and spraying fresh drops of crimson onto the floor."Do you honestly possess the absolute guts and the nerve to pry into the personal matters of the
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-THREEThe ride to the warehouse was a masterclass in suffocating silence.Dante took the wheel of his reinforced vehicle himself, his large hands gripping the leather steering wheel with an unyielding, dangerous precision. Seraphina sat in the passenger seat next to him, her entire body rigid, her profile carved out of pure, unadulterated fury. I sat in the back, watching the dark, blurred shapes of the industrial outskirts speed past the tinted windows. The air inside the car felt heavy, pressurized by the lethal intentions of the two powerful beings riding in the front.When the car finally ground to a halt, we were parked inside an abandoned, dilapidated shipping depot tucked deep within the desolate docks. The concrete walls were stained with rust, and the only light came from a single, flickering halogen bulb hanging from a rusted chain in the center of the room.Rafael was already standing there, flanked by three heavily armed syndicate men. And t
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-TWOInside the quiet sanctuary of the bedroom, the heavy atmosphere had finally begun to soften. Seraphina’s vow still lingered in the air between us, a sacred promise of no more secrets that felt like a lifeline anchoring me to her complicated, dangerous world.I was still resting against her, my heart slowly stabilizing after the emotional storm, when a sharp, rhythmic knock was planted on the heavy wooden door.We both froze."I am incredibly sorry to interrupt, ma'am," Rafael’s muffled voice drifted through the paneling. Dante's right-hand man sounded thoroughly professional, but there was an underlying tightness in his tone that made my stomach instantly knot. "But Mr. Dante has something highly urgent to show you guys downstairs right now."Seraphina pouted, a rare, almost childish expression of frustration crossing her porcelain features at the interruption. I couldn't help but let out a soft, weary breath, gently nudging her shoulder. "We should
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETEEN Alisha sat behind the massive obsidian desk in her private penthouse office, the room cast in heavy, suffocating shadows.The only vibrant illumination came from the sleek, high-definition monitor screen embedded into the wall directly before her.On it, the chaoti
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTEENHe was leaning back comfortably in his leather chair, his long legs crossed casually at the ankle, his powerful frame projecting a chilling aura of absolute, unbothered dominance.His dark hair was slightly messy, and his razor-sharp eyes looked completely unintere
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FOURTEENCont of Seraphina's POVThe suffocating silence of the boardroom pressed against my eardrums like the heavy, crushing depths of the Atlantic.I could feel the microscopic shifts in the room, the sudden, elevated heartbeats of the human board members, the slight, ner
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWELVEI walked quickly through the grand, polished lobby of the Diamond Group, my heels clicking sharply against the marble floor.The security guards simply bowed their heads respectfully as I passed, bypassing the main check-in counter entirely.I stepped into the privat







