ZEUSThe piercing scream of a bat shattered the silence between us, snapping me out of the intense stare I was locked in with the Alpha. My head instinctively jerked upward in alarm. The forest around us had grown darker. Evening had already fallen. Wild animals were waking up. Their cries were just creepy in the stillness of night. Suddenly, the Alpha’s hand shifted from my waist to my wrist.. Instinctively, I glanced up at him, but the moment our eyes met, my breath caught. The warmth I’d seen before was gone, replaced by something dark and furious.Without a word, he yanked me forward, his pace insane as if he was flying in the air.“What the hell are you doing?!” I hissed, stumbling as I struggled to keep up..The sharp pain in my wrist made me wince, and I wriggled in protest. “Let go! You’re hurting me!” I yelled, anger and panic boiling over.He didn’t stop. He didn’t even glance in my direction.I stumbled along, cursing him under my breath, fighting against his strong grip. B
ODINStanding by the window, I took a long slow drag of my cigarette as I watched the sunrise bleed colors across the horizon. It was stunning, as usual. It was a reminder that life continued at its own pace, indifferent to my sleepless nights. Since Lynn’s death, sleep had become a distant memory. My eyes drifted, almost against my will, to the clearing where he lay curled up, tied but somehow managing to look absurdly comfortable. Damon. His lean figure was nestled by the chopped woodpile, his expression softened in sleep, though his brows furrowed every so often. His lips seemed soft, plump, and maddeningly inviting, would part to mutter curses at the mosquitoes circling him. For someone so terrified of being devoured by a wild animal, he was surprisingly unguarded. Carefree. And infuriatingly... alluring.I scowled, forcing my gaze away but finding it impossible to fully shake the image. So stupid and irritating, I muttered under my breath. The bastard was human trash—a liar, a m
ZeusI stared at the Alpha in complete disbelief, my brain trying to process his statement. Enemies with benefits? Was this some kind of joke?My mind flickered back to the last time I’d been with someone. A Brazilian beauty during a rare three-day break from work. It had been... fine, but forgettable. Sex had never been a big deal to me, just a minor distraction from my singular focus: money. One-night stands were the extent of my interest, and even then it was few and far between.But this? This was something else entirely. The offer was shocking enough, but coming from him, a self-proclaimed straight werewolf willing to make an exception for me was almost laughable.Then I caught the way he looked at me. I was some kind of filthy, desperate thing. A manwhore in his eyes.My jaw clenched tightly as my pride took a hit. “I’m not gay. And even if I were, you would be the last person I’d ever choose,” I spat, glaring into his cold eyes.He tilted his head lazily, his expression one of
ZEUSBut something about the complexity of it all didn’t sit right with me. The coordination, the precision. It must’ve cost a fortune.I scoffed, my frustration spilling into words. “Is that wild man wealthy?” I muttered under my breath.Cade’s cold voice broke my thoughts. “Follow me,” he instructed, already heading toward the woods.I sighed and quickly laced up my shoes, begrudgingly following him.Our first stop was the river. Cade handed me three large bottles and motioned for me to fill them with fresh water. Carrying them back to the shack nearly broke my arms. I was drenched in sweat by the time we arrived.
ZEUS“Join me…” he whispered, his voice calm but laced with something I couldn’t place.I blinked, confusion thick in my voice. “Join you for what?”Next, I found myself on the rooftop of the wooden house. The Alpha carried a pile of flat boards in one hand, the other casually balanced a toolbox like it weighed nothing. Meanwhile, I was struggling just to keep my knees from giving out. Fuck my curiosity from earlier. Why had I come here instead of resting in the shack? If only I had known he was going to be fixing the roof and I would have to follow him around like a servant. Even at this height. A cold sweat broke out across my forehead when I glanced down. The height. The nauseating height.My breath hitched, and memories I’d buried clawed their way back into my mind. The sharp pain, the sickening crunch, the blood pooling around me...My legs wobbled like they had forgotten how to stand. Panic crept in, tightening my chest. Without thinking, my hand shot out, gripping the Alpha’s
Huffing, I stomped my feet and climbed down to gather the tools. Wasn’t this an overreaction over an old toolbox?Thankfully, nothing was broken. I glanced up at the Alpha. “What do I do now?”“Take it all inside,” he ordered curtly.Reluctantly, I turned and entered the house. It was a beautiful place, filled with antique furniture, but coated in layers of dirt and cobwebs. It seemed abandoned. Placing the toolbox down, I was about to leave when a small photo frame caught my attention. I reached out to grab it.“What are you doing?” the Alpha’s voice boomed through the room.Startled, I quickly pulled my hand back without even looking at the photo. “I was just looking around. This seems like a very old house,” I said, turnin
ZEUSAt 14, I sat before the mirror, dressed in high-end clothes, doused in branded perfume, a luxury watch gleaming on my wrist, and sporting a haircut identical to the boy staring back at me. A reflection of someone I no longer recognized. As I stepped into the world of the elite, masquerading as the heir to one of the most powerful men in the country, I realized something irrevocable: my existence had vanished.Zeus was gone.In his place, Damon was born.“Remember…” A large hand covered half my face, and I glimpsed him through the gaps of his fingers as he whispered in my ear, “From now on, you are me.”I jolted awake with a gasp. Thunder roared and lightning flashed, illuminating the dark confines of the rickety shack where I lay. The storm outside was relentless, shaking the very walls of my fragile refuge. My chest heaved as the memories I’d buried clawed their way back to the surface.After a moment of catching my breath, I sat up on the makeshift hay bed and turned to the sma
ODINStanding on the other side of the glass door, I watched him.His shivering figure huddled outside in the storm, barely holding himself upright. The doors and windows of this house were all glass. One-way glass. So I could see everything outside, yet he couldn’t see me within. I'd been watching him the entire time since the storm began, since the rain turned intense and the fragile roof of his shack gave in.As I had expected, he came to me for shelter.The wealthy human trash, Damon Darcy, reduced to nothing but a trembling figure. A man who would manipulate and ruin innocent life when he gets tired of them but now kneel in order to save his own pitiful life.His fist hit the door weakly. "Are you asleep?" he called out, his
ZEUSI ended things with him.I spat the most venomous words I could, sharp enough to cut to the bone, ensuring he wouldn’t come after me. He had been bad from the start—domineering, selfish, controlling. Loving him had been a mistake. It was his fault this relationship failed.I should feel free. Relieved. No longer haunted by his presence.So why… why wouldn’t the tears stop?Why did my heart feel like it was being ripped apart?Was it because I was running away again?Or was it because I had lied to him—again?Yes, I lied.My feeling
ODIN I already had my doubts. That pretty face carried a fake innocence that had rubbed me the wrong way from the very beginning. On top of that the moment I saw him with my own eyes by the bridge, I knew—he was lying. His legs weren’t useless. The dust on the soles of his shoes had been enough proof for me. He hadn’t crawled there. He had walked.Still, I had Cade run a full investigation. The hospital records, his medical history—everything confirmed what I had suspected all along. The truth was going to destroy my mate, but he needed to see it. He had lived in darkness for the last twelve years, drowning in guilt, carrying a burden that was never his to bear. It was time to bring him back to the light.
ZEUSWhat… what did I just see?My eyes widened, as if they could stretch beyond their limits.Gary… was standing on his own two feet.Was I imagining things? Or was this some cruel dream—one where I’d wake up, only to have the cold walls laugh at me for daring to believe in something that was impossible?But then why—why did Gary’s face look so real? His fearful expression, his trembling lips—if this were just a dream, why did he seem so terrified?Why did the man who always held his composure now look like the one whose mask had been torn off?My throat tightened. "What is the meaning of this?" My voice wa
ZEUSThe doctor stepped out of the emergency room. His voice was steady, but the weight of his words pressed my chest like a vice.“We managed to save the patient, but his legs were completely crushed. At this moment, we can't say whether he’ll recover or not. We need to wait for him to regain consciousness and run further tests…”His voice faded into a distant hum as I walked past him, my legs moving on their own. My gaze locked onto the small window overlooking the room where Gary lay.He’s alive.The words echoed in my mind, drowning out everything else. Gary wasn’t dead. He had survived.If he hadn’t&h
ZEUSBarbecue? Don’t tell me…My grip tightened around my phone as Odin’s words from that day echoed in my mind—the day he had asked if I was hiding something."If I find something unsavory, I will erase its very existence from this world. But you wouldn’t like the old Odin."A wave of panic surged through me. It turned out that Gary was the "unsavory thing" Odin had been referring to. And this barbecue—it wasn’t just a casual gathering. It was Gary.My pulse thundered in terror. Gary was in danger. I had to save him. I had to act fast.I glanced at the door, then o
ODINSitting on the cold floor of my bedroom, I gripped the disconnected phone in my hand, my gaze locked onto the documents Cade had placed before me.“Alpha,” he began hesitantly, “this is the police report from twelve years ago.”My eyes flickered to the file as he continued.“The man named Harris and his gang were convicted of kidnapping, child abuse, and pedophilia. That man, Harris… he was Zeus’ father.” Cade pointed at the grainy photo stapled to the document.I studied the image, my pulse drumming in my ears. The man looked nothing like Zeus—except for the eyes. Those damn eyes.Rage burned through my veins. My fingers curled, claws scrapin
ZEUS“The wound is completely healed,” the doctor announced, his voice carrying a note of relief.It wasn’t surprising. Every time he came to change my bandage over the past week, Victor loomed over him like a silent executioner, making it painfully clear that any mistake would not be tolerated. The poor man had been under so much pressure that today, when he turned to Victor, his smile was more nervous than pleased.“There will be no scar,” he assured, quickly adding, “but please continue applying this gel until its gone.”Victor accepted the tube without a word, and the doctor wasted no time in making his exit—ignoring the fresh coffee the maid had just served him.I picked up my own cup and glance
ZEUS“Mr. Damon, we’re here,” Victor announced as he opened the car door for me.I remained motionless in the back seat, just as I had been the entire ride. More like a corpse than a living man.“Was it Susan who called you?” I asked without looking at him.Victor was silent for a moment before responding, “Yes.”Of course, it had to be Susan. She would do anything to save herself—even sell her soul. She kicked Gary out, knowing I would come back for him, and then called Victor to cover her tracks.Without another word, I stepped out of the car and back into the world I was accustomed to. The penthouse.I stoo
ZEUSI just wanted to help him. I just wanted to give him food and shelter. I just…But when I rolled over in my sleep, I woke up to a nightmare.I froze. My body frozen, my mind refusing to process the horror unfolding before me. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move.For a long, paralyzing moment, all I could do was stare.Then something snapped inside me.I lunged forward, shoving my father away from Gary with all the strength I had.Gary had already passed out, his small body limp and motionless on the floor.I reached for him,