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
ZEUSA sudden crack of lightning split the sky and its roar vibrated through the air. Startled, I broke eye contact with the Alpha and turned to see the damage with wide eyes. The bolt had struck the tree I had been sleeping under not too long ago. My heart pounded as the realization hit me, if I’d stayed there, I would be dead.Instinctively backing away, I stumbled, only to feel my back collide with something solid. I froze.It was him. The Alpha. He was standing right behind me.“Follow me,” he whispered, his deep voice brushing against my ear like a sinister caress.A shiver ran down my spine as the heat of his breath sent an involuntary jolt through my body. I turned quickly to face him, only to find that he’d already walked ahead.I grabbed his wrist to stop him. “Where?”He tilted his head slightly, his brown eyes drifting to my hand before meeting mine. “To the house,” he simply stated.My heart raced, unsure whether it was from the storm or his words. “Are you helping me? Why
ZEUSThe day I came home from school and found my mother lying lifeless on the kitchen floor was still etched into my memory like a scar that never fades. My father, a drunk even then, barely acknowledged her death. From the funeral to the burial, he remained the same. A man drowning in alcohol and indifference. He already had a mistress outside our home, along with a daughter, so my mother’s death meant nothing to him. But for me, it changed everything. That was the day I became the new target of his abuse.By the age of thirteen, I had already grown accustomed to a life of servitude. Every day, I woke up early to cook, clean, and take care of the house before and after school. Every night, I braced myself for the beating that followed my father’s drunken return.That night was no different. I left the
ZEUSAfter Odin left, I spent some time playing with the baby until she drifted off to sleep again. Once she was settled under the caretaker’s watchful eye, I hurried straight to the kitchen.Hidden beneath a pile of neatly stacked dish towels was the smartphone I had stashed away. Jay’s phone.I couldn’t thank him enough for this favor. He never questioned why I needed it, simply handing it over and telling me I could return it whenever I wanted.Now was my chance.With Odin around, I hadn’t dared take the chance to use it. But now? Now I had to.I switched on the phone and immediately dialed a number, but not Gary’s.Hi
ZEUS"You would not like the old Odin."Odin’s words echoed in my mind all night, refusing to let me rest. The next day as I stood in the kitchen, stirring the pot, I barely noticed when the heat came close to searing me until the sting snapped me back to reality. I yelped, jerking my hand away just in time before I got burned.With a shaky breath, I turned off the stove and gripped the edge of the counter. What the hell had last night been about? Odin had looked at me like he was certain I was hiding something. Dead serious.He wasn’t wrong.When I returned to Odin that day, I had a plan. First, to prove to him
ODINAfter settling matters with the Council, I left with Damon and the baby.They had acted on their own accord and killed the baby’s mother, so I made sure they took care of her last rites. The child’s identity was erased from all records. officially, she was already dead. This way, she could have a new future, a new name… a new life.The entire ride back, I couldn’t help but watch Damon’s face. He was smiling…a rare, genuine smile as he held the baby in his arms. I had never seen him this happy.“Do you like babies?” I asked, keeping my eyes on the road.Damon glanced at me. “Actually, this is the first baby I’ve ever held, so I don’t know if I like babies in general&hell
ZEUSBefore I could react, the werewolf grabbed my collar, yanking me closer. “Don’t be cocky just because you’re with Alpha Romano! Meddling in our business will get you killed.”Jay was about to intervene, but before he could, I slammed my forehead into the man’s nose with all my strength. He howled in pain, stumbling back with blood pouring from his nose.I smirked. “You know who I’m with, yet you still dare to underestimate me?”The werewolf’s fury turned into hesitation.I turned to the woman, helping her to her feet. “Whatever twisted business you’re involved in, I won’t let you kill this baby,” I declared.
ZEUSBy late morning, we had driven out of Romano territory. The journey was long, yet thrilling, especially when Odin stopped by a cave he had discovered while hunting with his father at the age of nine. He even taught me how to catch a fish with my bare hands! It required a special skill and technique, and I could tell this man could survive in the wild without any modern facilities.Before we left home, I had packed some sandwiches. We ate them inside the cave, laughing and chatting about random things before continuing our journey.As we drove, curiosity got the better of me. “By the way, why are you taking me with you? Am I even allowed to be there?”Odin glanced at me with a smirk. “I was afraid you’d get homesick, so I thought about bringing you al
ZEUSIt had been three days, and still no message from Gary. I stood under the shower, lost in thought. Where had things gone wrong? Uncertainty gnawed at me, making it impossible to stay calm. I had to find a way to contact him.Wearing a bathrobe, I stepped out of the bathroom, only to find Cade entering the bedroom at the same time.“Alpha…” he started but trailed off when he realized Odin wasn’t here.What caught my attention, though, was the envelope in his hand, the one he quickly shoved into his pocket, almost as if he were hiding it. What was that about?“It seems the Alpha isn’t here,” he said awkwardly.I nodded, noticing how he struggled to ad
ZEUS“I…I just came to clean the room,” I blurted, stepping back from the desk. “I swear I didn’t touch…”Before I could finish, Odin moved. He charged toward me. I braced myself for his anger. For an accusation. For a punishment.Instead, he pulled me into his arms.Tightly.Like he was afraid to let go.I froze. My heart pounded against my ribs and my breath caught in my throat.“O-Odin…” I murmured, confused. “What happened?”He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he held me tighter. Then, out of nowhere he asked.
ODINLoosening my tie, I stretched my neck as I stepped into my office. The entire day had been spent outside the territory at an important Alpha meeting. I had intended to return earlier, but the endless reminiscing of old wolves, my father’s friends had kept me longer than planned. Their talk of the past only grated on my nerves. I hated recalling those old days.Sinking into my chair, I closed my eyes for a moment, allowing the quiet to settle.Then, a familiar and intoxicating scent filled the air.Damon’s cooking.Opening my eyes, I spotted a tiffin on my desk. My mood instantly lifted as I flipped it open, revealing warm, perfectly prepared fri