I don't fear threats. I am the threat.
The city glows beneath the darkened sky, skyscrapers standing like silent sentinels, their glass windows catching the reflection of the moon. My office is dim, the only light coming from the city outside and the faint blue glow of my phone screen as I scroll through the last call received.
Damon's betrothed mate.
She had the audacity to call me—to threaten me. A lesser woman might have been rattled. But I am not lesser. I tilt my head, amusement flickering through me as I press the dial button.
Damon answers on the second ring, his voice taut. "Lilith?"
I take my time responding, allowing the silence to coil like a noose. Then, finally, I say, "Warn your mate."
There's a beat of stillness. Then I proceed to give him a run down of her "conversation" with me.
"She what?" His tone sharpens, disbelief laced with something heavier.
"She called me. She threatened me." I glance at my nails, perfectly manicured, gleaming under the soft office light. "I assume she thought she was being intimidating."
A sharp breath on the other end. "Lilith—"
"I'm not warning you because I'm concerned." My voice is silk wrapped around a blade. "I'm warning you because if she does it again, I won't be so… kind."
Damon exhales harshly, and I can hear the weight behind his silence, the tension coiling in his body like a drawn bowstring.
He sounded more angry than concerned.
It seemed he did not like this mate of his that much, considering he had not agreed to publicly announce his engagement with her. The thought of this made me smile in contentment. I wouldn't mind coming in between them for my amusement.
"I'll handle it," he finally says, his voice edged with something dangerous.
I smirk. "You'd better."
Before he can say anything else, I end the call, setting my phone down on the desk. The click of my heels against the polished marble floor echoes as I rise, stretching the tension from my shoulders.
It wasn't about fear. It was about control. And his mate needed to understand one thing—if she came for me, she wouldn't find a rival. She'd find ruin.
I find Celeste in the lounge just outside my office, leaning against the floor-to-ceiling window, her reflection merging with the city skyline. She holds a tablet in one hand, a whiskey glass in the other, though it remains untouched.
She doesn't turn as I approach. "I take it that was Volkova."
I smirk. "His mate needed a reminder of her place."
Celeste finally looks at me, amusement flickering in her sharp blue eyes. "And you were more than happy to provide one."
"Of course." I pour myself a glass of water from the sleek bar cart in the corner, taking a slow sip. "If I let every insignificant woman who wanted to bare her fangs at me get away with it, I wouldn't be standing here."
She hums in agreement watching me over the rim of her glass, then tilts her head. "And what about Kade?"
I swirl the water in my glass, considering. "I'm going to meet him."
Celeste raises a brow. "Interesting."
"Is it?"
She sets her tablet down on the black marble table. "Depends. Are you meeting him because you're curious about what he has to offer? Or because you're looking forward to turning him down?"
I smile, slow and sharp. "Why not both?"
Celeste chuckles, shaking her head. "You're playing a dangerous game."
"I always do."
Her expression sobers slightly. "Kade isn't like the others. He doesn't just deal in business—he deals in loyalty. In power plays that last decades. If he's reaching out, it's not on a whim."
I finish my drink and set the glass down with a soft clink. "Then let's see if he's prepared to lose."
Celeste watches me for a moment longer, then nods. "At least make sure you look the part when you do."
My reflection stares back at me as I stand before the floor-length mirror in my penthouse bedroom.
Power isn't just held. It's worn.
I choose a black silk blouse, its high neckline offering the illusion of restraint while the sheer sleeves hint at something far more dangerous. Paired with tailored midnight-blue trousers that mold to my figure like a second skin and a fitted blazer, the look is effortless control—feminine but commanding.
Gold cuffs encircle my wrists, catching the light as I fasten them. The only color comes from the deep crimson of my lips, a shade meant to stain and seduce in equal measure.
My hair is swept back into a sleek chignon, not a strand out of place. Controlled. Calculated. Just like me.
Celeste waits by the elevator when I step out, her own attire a contrast to mine—sharp, all black, with a hint of silver at her throat. She gives me a once-over and smirks.
"He won't know whether to bow or bleed."
I adjust the cuff of my blazer, stepping into the elevator. "That's the point."
Elysium is the kind of place where Influence is whispered behind closed doors and fortunes are made over drinks laced with unspoken threats. The VIP suite is draped in opulence—deep crimson velvet, obsidian marble floors, golden sconces casting a dim, intimate glow.
Kade is already waiting when I arrive. He lounges in one of the leather armchairs, his frame relaxed but his eyes sharp, assessing. He's dressed like the devil in a suit—charcoal gray, crisp white shirt unbuttoned just enough to suggest ease but not carelessness. A man who knows exactly what he's doing.
His lips curl into something that isn't quite a smile. "Lilith."
I walk past him, letting the sharp click of my heels be the only response for a moment before I finally turn, my expression cool. "Kade."
He gestures toward the seat opposite him. I don't sit. Instead, I cross my arms, tilting my head slightly. "I assume this isn't a social call."
Kade chuckles, low and rich. "No. It's an opportunity."
I arch a brow, waiting.
He picks up his whiskey glass, swirling the amber liquid before taking a slow sip. Then, with the air of a man bestowing a gift, he says, "I'm offering you back what was taken. Your place. As Luna."
Silence stretches between us.
Then I laugh. Soft at first. Then sharper, darker.
Kade watches me, his expression unreadable.
I step closer, my voice dropping to something silken. "You think I want that? To sit beside you like some prize you've decided to return?"
His smirk doesn't waver. "I think you know our alliance would be good for business."
I lean down, meeting his gaze. "I don't need alliances. I need empires to burn."
A flicker of something crosses his face. Amusement? Interest? Maybe both.
"You're making a dangerous enemy, Lilith."
I straighten, smoothing my blazer. "I already was one."
As I turn to leave, he speaks again.
"You're forgetting something."
I pause.
He smirks. "Empires aren't built alone."
I glance at him over my shoulder, lips curling. "Neither is their destruction."
And with that, I walk away.
The city blurs past in streaks of neon and shadow as the limo glides through the streets. The interior is dimly lit, the faint scent of leather and expensive cologne lingering in the air.
I sit back against the plush seat, one leg crossed over the other, my fingers drumming lightly against my knee. The remnants of my meeting with Kade still linger in my mind, but not with uncertainty. No, I know exactly what needs to be done.
Across from me, Celeste is reviewing something on her tablet, the blue glow casting sharp shadows across her features. She hasn't spoken since we left Elysium, waiting, as she always does, for me to make the first move.
I finally break the silence. "How long would it take to pull the financial records on Draven Holdings' offshore accounts?"
Celeste glances up, her expression unreadable. "Depends. Are we talking surface-level digging or something more… invasive?"
I tilt my head slightly, my nails tapping against the seat's leather. "I want to know where his money breathes. The assets he doesn't parade around in public. The ones he thinks no one sees."
A smirk plays on her lips. "Ah. You want to strangle his empire at its roots."
I allow myself a slow smile. "Every king has a foundation. I want to find his and make it crumble beneath him."
Celeste nods, already swiping through her files. "I have contacts who specialize in tracing assets that don't want to be found. Give me forty-eight hours, and I'll have a full report."
I watch the city lights reflect against the tinted windows, a slow satisfaction curling in my chest.
Kade thought he could offer me something I'd once lost.
He had no idea that all I wanted now—was to watch him lose.
And this? This was just the beginning.