All Chapters of DARK BOND : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

12:00 PM - THE TOUR Isabella's heels clicked against the marble floors as she led Kyrian through hallways that seemed to go on forever. Everything was pristine. Expensive. Cold. "The estate has forty-two rooms," Isabella said conversationally, as if that were normal. "Twelve bedrooms, seven bathrooms, two libraries, a ballroom, indoor pool, gym, wine cellar, and of course, the security wing." "Security wing?" Kyrian asked. "Where Lorenzo conducts business. You won't be going there." "Wasn't planning on it." Isabella glanced at him, amused. "You have spirit. Most Omegas would be trembling right now." "I'm not most Omegas." "Clearly." They climbed a grand staircase to the second floor. The hallway here was lined with portraits—generations of Morettis staring down with dark, judgmental eyes. "Your family looks cheerful," Kyrian said dryly. "We're Italians. We save our smiles for family dinners and funerals." She stopped at a door near the end of the hall. "This is yours."

7:30 AM - THE AWAKENING "Rian... Rian... Kyrian Volkov!" The voice cut through the fog of sleep like a knife. Kyrian gasped, his eyes flying open. His mother's face swam into focus above him—worried, gentle, real. "Mom?" His voice came out hoarse, confused. Arina sat on the edge of his bed, her hand on his shoulder. "Finally! I've been trying to wake you for the past hour, baby. You were thrashing around, talking in your sleep." Kyrian sat up quickly—too quickly. His head spun. He looked around frantically. His room. His room. Not the Moretti guest suite. Not the massive bed with silk sheets. Not the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking manicured gardens. His childhood bedroom in the Volkov mansion. The same dark blue walls. The same bookshelf filled with modeling magazines and old trophies. The same view of the Moscow skyline through familiar windows. "What—" Kyrian's hands were shaking. "What are you doing here? How did you—" "What do I mean, w

10:00 AM - THE PHONE CALL The morning light filtered through the curtains of Kyrian's room, soft and pale. He hadn't slept much. Maybe two hours total. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Lorenzo's face. Heard that calm, collected voice from his nightmare saying "Then he's mine." His phone buzzed on the nightstand. Ivan: Dad wants us downstairs. Now. Kyrian dragged himself out of bed and got dressed mechanically. Jeans. A soft white sweater. His hands shook slightly as he took his morning medication. Two suppressants. One stabilizer. The pills felt heavier today. Like they knew they might not be enough much longer. Downstairs, his entire family was gathered in the living room. Kirill stood by the window, phone pressed to his ear. His expression was tense. Arina sat on the sofa, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. Ivan leaned against the wall, arms crossed, jaw set. They all looked up when Kyrian entered. "What's happening?" Kyrian asked quietly

THE CONTRACT - 11:47 AM Kyrian's hands trembled as he turned the pages. Legal language. Formal terms. Cold, clinical descriptions of what his life was about to become. Party A (Lorenzo Moretti) and Party B (Kyrian Volkov) hereby enter into matrimonial agreement... Residency shall be established at primary Moretti estate in Monaco... Public appearances as required for family business... His eyes skimmed over most of it. He couldn't focus. The words blurred together. Until page seven. He stopped. Read it again. Then looked up sharply. "What the fuck is this?" Everyone's attention snapped to him. Lorenzo leaned forward slightly. "What?" Kyrian stabbed his finger at the page. "Section twelve. Subsection C." Dante cleared his throat. "That's the—" "I can read." Kyrian's voice was ice. "It says I need written permission to leave Monaco. Written permission from him." Silence. "That's standard—" Vincenzo started. "Standard?!" Kyrian stood up so fast his chair scraped aga

Everything felt like it was happening through a fog. Kyrian stood beside Lorenzo. People came up to them. Said things. Congratulations probably. He nodded. Smiled when he thought he should. But he wasn't really there. His body was present but his mind had gone somewhere else. Somewhere safer. Someone handed him champagne. He stared at the glass. Watched the bubbles rise. Didn't drink it. "You should eat something," his mother said quietly beside him. "I'm not hungry." "Kyrian—" "I said I'm not hungry, Mama." His voice came out harsher than he meant. Arina flinched but didn't push. Lorenzo was talking to Vincenzo. Some business thing probably. Kyrian wasn't listening. He was too busy trying to breathe normally. Standing this close to Lorenzo was... difficult. Even with his medication. Even with all the air purifiers they'd installed in this room. He could still smell it. That distinct Enigma scent Dark. Heavy. Overwhelming. It made his skin crawl. Made his che