The shattered glass glints under the moonlight, tiny shards catching the light as they slip from my fingers. A single drop of blood wells up on my palm before my skin knits itself back together—fast, efficient, a reminder of what I am.
Of what I've become.
I lift my gaze to Kade, unbothered. If he was expecting an outburst, disappointment is all he'll get.
"How dramatic," I murmur, brushing the remaining glass from my fingers. "You always did have a flair for theatrics."
Kade's smirk deepens. "And you always did have a bad habit of underestimating me."
Damon moves before I do, stepping forward, shoulders tense, dominance rolling off him in waves. "You should leave."
Kade tilts his head. "And if I don't?"
The air shifts. The tension between them crackles, old wounds barely scabbed over threatening to split open.
I should be entertained—two alphas circling each other like wolves in the dark—but all I feel is exhaustion.
I let out a sigh, stepping between them. "If you're both done flexing your egos, I'd rather not spend my evening caught between a pissing contest."
Damon's jaw tightens, but he doesn't argue. Kade, on the other hand, chuckles. "Come now, Lilith. No need to be so cold." He leans in just slightly. "I was only here to congratulate you. After all, it's not every day that a ghost returns from the dead and claims an empire."
I don't take the bait. "Then consider your congratulations delivered. Now, leave."
His eyes gleam with something unreadable, but then he takes a step back, hands raised in mock surrender. "As you wish."
He turns toward the door but pauses, glancing over his shoulder at Damon. "I wonder… does it sting, Alpha, knowing she built an empire without you?"
Damon doesn't flinch. "I wonder," he replies smoothly, "does it sting, Kade, knowing she doesn't need you either?"
Kade's smirk falters for the briefest second before he laughs and disappears into the ballroom, leaving a silence that stretches too long.
Damon watches me, his gaze unreadable. "You really own Vermillion Holdings."
It's not a question.
I hum, turning toward the railing. "Surprised?"
"Impressed."
The honesty in his tone catches me off guard. I glance at him, expecting sarcasm, but all I find is quiet admiration. It unsettles me more than Kade's presence.
"You built all of this," Damon continues, his voice softer now. "Alone."
Alone.
The word lingers between us, heavy with all the things neither of us say.
I turn away first. "No one was going to save me, Damon. I had to save myself."
I don't expect him to understand. I don't expect him to care. But when he speaks again, his voice is lower, rougher.
"I should have looked for you."
Something sharp twists in my chest. I don't acknowledge it.
"It wouldn't have mattered," I say coolly. "I was already gone."
Damon watches me for a long moment, then exhales. "Lilith—"
I don't let him finish. "You should go back inside, Alpha." The title is deliberate. A reminder of what we are now. Of what we aren't.
Damon studies me, as if searching for something, but whatever he's looking for—he won't find it. Not anymore.
Finally, he nods. "Goodnight, Lilith."
I don't respond.
I just watch as he disappears into the ballroom, leaving me alone under the cold glow of the moon.
Five Years Ago
The first time I killed a man, I didn't feel a thing.
He had been a rogue, one of the many who lurked in the lawless parts of the world, preying on the weak.
He thought I was weak too—an easy target, a girl with nothing but desperation in her eyes.
He was wrong.
The blade had slid between his ribs too easily, like cutting through silk. His blood had been warm, spilling over my hands, staining my skin, my clothes.
I had expected to feel something. Guilt. Horror. Remorse.
But I felt nothing.
Not then.
Not now.
Present
I press my fingers against the balcony railing, grounding myself in the present. The past is a beast with sharp teeth, always waiting to drag me back. But I don't let it. I can't.
The door behind me creaks open. For a moment, I think Damon has returned, but when I turn, it's not him.
It's a man dressed in black, his face hidden in the shadows.
"Miss Dusk," he says smoothly, bowing slightly. "Your ride awaits."
I arch a brow. "That was fast."
"We have a schedule to keep."
I glance once more at the ballroom, where laughter and music still hum in the distance. Then, without another word, I step away from the balcony and follow him into the night.
The limo hums beneath me as I lean back into the leather seat, the city lights streaking past in a blur of gold and neon. My fingers trace absentmindedly over my palm, remembering the sting of glass, the heat of anger.
Kade's voice still lingers in my ears.
"Not when I already have what she wants."
I curl my fingers into a fist.
He thinks he understands me. Thinks he knows what I want.
He has no idea.
The car slows as we near my estate, and the high wrought-iron gates part like the jaws of a beast, swallowing me into the world I built from the ground up.
The Blackthorne Manor—my sanctuary, my empire—rises before me, a testament to what I have become. It is not delicate, nor is it inviting. It is a fortress of sleek obsidian and glass, standing against the night like a shadow made solid.
Inside, the air hums with silent power. Chandeliers spill cold light over marble floors, and towering windows overlook the city like watchful eyes. Every detail is curated, precise.
A place for a queen, not a lost girl.
I stride through the grand foyer, ignoring the curious glances of the staff, my heels clicking against polished stone. Up the staircase, down the hall—until I reach my room.
My bedroom is a contrast of darkness and opulence—velvet drapes, ink-black walls, golden accents gleaming in the dim glow of the fireplace. But my focus is singular as I approach the antique desk near the window.
I pull open the drawer and retrieve a book bound in deep crimson leather, its edges gilded in black.
"Noctem Codex."
The book of night. The book of plans. The book of retribution.
I open it, flipping past the calculated destruction of corporations, the orchestrated collapse of enemies, until I reach the page I've been waiting for.
REVENGE.
Beneath it, a single subheading:
"The Fall of Two Alphas, the Rise of One."
My lips curve. I pick up the silver fountain pen resting on the desk, pressing it against the first task on the list.
A slow, deliberate strike-through.
Done.
I lean back in my chair, watching the ink dry, satisfaction curling deep in my chest.
This is only the beginning.
And by the time I'm done—
They will all kneel.
A knock at the door.
Sharp. Measured.
I close the book, placing it back in the drawer before turning toward the sound.
"Enter."
The door swings open, and the figure standing there is the last person I expected.
A slow smile spreads across my lips.
"Well, well," I murmur. "Didn't think I'd see you so soon."
The figure steps forward, shadows clinging to their frame.
"Neither did I," they say. "But I have an offer you won't refuse."