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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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