~ 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.”
