ODIN
Sitting 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
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
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
*Zeus*Pain.That’s all I felt as I came to, my head pounding like it had been split open. A dull ache throbbed, warm and cold all at once, and I realized blood—both dry and fresh—was smeared across my forehead. I shifted, wincing as my eyes fought to open, each blink a struggle against the sticky darkness. For a moment, all I could see was black, blinding black, then a sickly blur that forced my eyes shut again.After a second, I braced myself, sucking in a shallow breath as I tried again. This time, my vision cleared just enough to show a haze of shadows, and I got the sense that I wasn’t alone. But it wasn’t because anyone else was here; no, it was more the way the darkness closed in around me. Pressing down. Suffocating.A chill spread through me as I felt the hard surface under my back. Cold and hard. Stone? Maybe hard packed dirt. I couldn’t tell. My whole body screamed as I pushed myself upright, every muscle in me stiff and aching, like I’d been crushed under something heavy.
**Zeus**For the first time in my life, I felt chills at being called Damon. Every face, name, and power play in Damon’s world was etched into my memory like a ghost. I hadn’t just studied Damon’s life, I’d absorbed it, drilled into me by Victor over the years. His enemies, allies, friends, even obscure acquaintances… I knew them all. Their faces, their sins, their individual stakes in Damon’s empire, each piece embedded as deeply as my own childhood memories. I could call up the name of a distant cousin Damon hadn’t spoken to in years or the backstory of a mistress hidden away for “family honor.” These people existed like ghosts, ready to come to life in my mind whenever the role demanded it.But this man… this man with those intense brown eyes and that presence sharp as steel… he wasn’t among them. No name, no whispers, no power that I could link back to Damon’s world. His face held a confidence that matched Damon’s, yet I couldn’t place him anywhere in the network of people Damon
ZEUSThe last thing I wanted to hear after threatening my kidnapper was a casual, “Sounds good.” Those two words sent a chill through me, a clear hint that things were only going to get worse. I could feel the warmth of his chest retreating as he pulled me from the tree. My twisted arm was released, but before I could even lower it to my side, he was dragging me forward again. I was caught off guard. “Where are you taking me?!” I demanded, struggling to keep up as the feeling slowly returned to my legs. “Stop dragging me! Let me go!” I twisted, using every ounce of strength I had to break free from his iron gasp, but it was like he was deaf, or just didn’t care. He’d already declared me his prisoner, his “slave,” and my protests seemed to mean nothing to him.“Let go!” I snarled through my teeth, looking around frantically. The trees were dense and twisted, looming over us like silent giants. The air smelled foreign, damp and earthy, and the distant calls of strange birds echoed in th
ZEUSThe way he said "beast" made something twist inside me. There was an edge to his words, a dark promise that suggested something far worse than just violence. And…could it be? …his voice, it sounded like two voices merged into one, as if something else, someone else, was speaking along with him. An animal. Was my mind slipping, or had I really heard that? I couldn't afford to second-guess myself. Hours of captivity were already beginning to blur my senses, drawing me into a spiral of doubt. If I didn’t escape, I’d be lost to this man’s madness.“Look, I really don’t know why you’re doing this to me.” My voice was steady, but desperation clawed at the edges. “I haven’t killed anyone. And if you believe I have, let’s go to the police. They’ll decide whether I’m guilty. I’ll accept punishment if they prove it, okay? Let’s handle this like civilized adults…”“Police?” He chuckled, a low, dark sound that echoed through the trees, filling the silence with a sinister hum. I froze, feeling
ODINRegret clawed at me like a ghost that refused to be exorcized, lingering in every empty space where her laughter should have been. I had been close enough to catch her, close enough to reach her, if only I’d acted a moment sooner. She would still be smiling and calling me brother. But I was just a second too late. All I could do was watch as her body plummeted from the top floor of the apartment building, swallowed by a silence that tore at me as her life slipped away right in front of my eyes. I couldn’t protect her. Lynn. My baby sister. The one I remember cradling in my arms the day she was born, her tiny fingers curling around mine, so fragile yet so full of life.Now, eighteen years later, I cradle her again, but all that life was gone.Just three months ago, she’d been dragging me around town, excited about college, demanding I buy her everything she’d need, and begging me for an apartment close to campus. She’d wanted so badly to live on her own, experience life outside the
ZEUS A pair of brown, animal-like eyes, hairy hands that looked almost like claws…I rubbed my eyes and blinked away the images, muttering, “What kind of shitty dream was that?” My head was still foggy, my senses playing tricks. Admittedly, the guy who’d kidnapped me had an intimidating presence. Strong, silent, with a piercing look that unnerved me. But to think that he was something more than human? A monster or… worse? Ridiculous.“What the hell am I even thinking?” I scolded myself. It hadn’t been twenty-four hours since he’d dragged me into this nightmare, and already I was losing my grip on reality. But as the hazy memories settled, one came into focus, as clear as if it were happening again: “Call me Alpha.” His voice had been low, commanding, with an underlying edge that felt… powerful. Like he owned not just the moment, but everything within reach. Including me.“Alpha?” I muttered, the name feeling strange on my tongue. There was something unnervingly fitting about it. He 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,
ZEUSMy fingers trembled at my sides. "Shut your mouth, Gary."He glanced at my shaking hand before his cold stare met mine once more. Then, his lips parted into a slow, wicked grin."So you really have found someone, huh? Someone that you think is more important than me?"Before I could react, he grabbed a brick from the ground and hurled it at me. "HOW DARE YOU!!!"I didn’t move.The brick struck my head, splitting my skin. Warm blood oozed down the side of my face, fast and thick. But the pain barely registered.Gary’s fury exploded as he screamed at me. "YOU FUCKING CRIMINAL! YOU MONSTER!
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