AVERY’S POV: Gunfire erupted, loud and sudden, tearing through the air. The crack of bullets sent my heart slamming against my ribs as I instinctively ducked, pressing Sea tightly against my chest. Chaos exploded around me. Men shouted, scrambling for cover, their weapons drawn, but they weren’t quick enough. Whoever was shooting had the upper hand, and the sound of bodies dropping confirmed it. What was happening? I prayed that whosoever was attacking was on my side and not another bad story. I used the distraction to turn as I made my way back to the filthy shack where the other children were trapped. My heart pounded and the kids flinched at the noise, their eyes wide with terror. "Come on," I urged. "We’re getting out of here." Most of them hesitated, too frightened to move. I scanned the room, looking for any who seemed braver and stronger. One boy, probably around ten, had a defiant glint in his eyes. "You," I said, crouching beside him. "I need your help. Get the o
AXEL’S POV:Three days. Three goddamn days, and I still had no answers. Every lead had turned into dust. Every search ended in a dead end. My men scoured the city, tearing through every underground contact, every filthy hole where criminals lurked, yet nothing. My wife and daughter were missing. And I was losing my fucking mind. The rage inside me simmered at a constant boil, threatening to spill over and consume everything in its path. The men around me had felt the brunt of it—broken noses, bruised ribs, everyone cowering with fear whenever I entered the room. I wasn’t sleeping. I wasn’t eating. I barely breathed without wanting to kill someone. Then Ryan walked in, his face pale but determined. "Boss. We have a location. This one’s solid." I didn’t waste time. "Move." Within seconds, we were in motion. The convoy tore through the streets like a bullet, my men locked and loaded. My fingers twitched against my thigh, my body vibrating with barely restrained violence.
AXEL’S POV:The dungeon was cold, damp, and reeking of iron and sweat. Chains clanked softly as the second-in-command of the syndicate shifted in his restraints, his swollen eyes darting between me and the tools laid out on the metal tray beside him. He had already been through an hour of pain, but he was stubborn—too stubborn. I rolled my shoulders, exhaling. "You can make this easier on yourself," I said, my voice calm, almost conversational. "Tell me who you're working for, and I’ll consider making your death painless." The man, bruised and bloodied, spit on the floor, his split lip curling into something that might have been a smirk if he weren’t already half-dead. "I ain't saying shit." I sighed, dragging a chair forward and sitting down. "Wrong answer." I was about to switch tactics—maybe something more creative, something that would make him regret every breath he was taking—when the heavy iron door creaked open. The air shifted. My men tensed. Avery walked in. She
AVERY’S POV:Sea shut down, and it broke my heart. I couldn’t shake the image of Sea’s frightened eyes. It broke my heart. She wouldn’t let anyone near her except Axel and me. Every sudden noise made her flinch, every bang sent her retreating into herself as if it were a gunshot. I put everything on hold—my volunteer work, my training—just to be around her, to help her feel safe. I called her brave and told her she was beautiful. I read her stories about strong, fearless heroines, hoping the words would seep into her bones and remind her that she was more than her fear. I filled our world with light, with warmth, with anything that might bring her back to herself. Axel was there, too. He was patient, gentle, and present in a way that both surprised and reassured me. Cedric checked on her regularly. But for some reason, Axel kept Ryan away from her. Sea asked about him often, her little face confused by his absence, but Axel refused to let them see each other. I tried to talk to
AVERY'S POV:The words slammed into me like a punch to the ribs. My breathing slowed, my heart pounded so violently I could hear it in my ears. My eyes darted frantically across the pages, absorbing lines I couldn’t comprehend, but somehow understood too well.The truth was staring at me, undeniable. I couldn't stay.No.No, no, no…My fingers tightened around the edges of the papers, crumpling them in my grip. My chest ached.Axel had betrayed me. Betrayed us.I felt my knees weaken, my body barely keeping itself upright. This wasn’t just a mistake. This wasn’t something we could come back from.I couldn’t breathe. I needed to get out of here. Now. But—Sea. I couldn’t leave her. Not like this. Not after everything she’d been through. But I couldn’t stay. Panic climbed up my throat, squeezing the breath out of me. My mind screamed at me to move, to run, to escape before Axel came back.My world tilted. The thought of Axel, the man I had grown to love despite all his darknes
AXEL’S POV:If Avery hadn’t been there when Sea nearly slipped away, I don’t know if I would have survived it. She was our light in these endless, bruising nights—my guiding star. Every time I thought of the hell that threatened to consume me, I saw her smile, heard her gentle words, and remembered that fate, in its twisted irony, had made her not only my partner but also my cure.I couldn’t keep the secrets from her any longer. If she was to stay in my world, it had to be by her own choice. I craved her pure love, free of deception—something real and untainted.Tonight, I stood among my men, going over every weak spot in our defenses. The estate had to be impenetrable. I wouldn’t risk Avery or Sea. But then—just as I was finalizing orders—the lights cut out.For a split second, I felt as if the very ground had vanished beneath me. I immediately grabbed my phone and contacted Baron, who now controlled the estate’s security. I had already stripped Ryan of his responsibilities in that
AXEL’S POV:Devon hesitated. “What happened?” I cut him off with a glare that could’ve turned a man to stone. He swallowed hard, nodded, and took off, barking orders. I wasn’t waiting around. I followed, my heart hammering against my ribs as we tore through the house, searching every inch, every shadow. Baron led the charge, moving like a bloodhound on a scent. But as the minutes stretched, an unsettling realization crawled into my mind. Ryan was missing. I ground to a stop. “Where the fuck is Ryan?” I bellowed. The men exchanged uncertain glances. No one knew.“Devon,” I snapped. “Take a squad and find him. Now.” He nodded and disappeared into the night. I moved on, searching, hoping—but each dead end, chipped away at me. Every step I took was heavy with despair and loneliness. I could feel the fractures spreading inside me.I remembered the mornings when Avery’s laughter filled our home, the way she would greet me with bright eyes over breakfast, sneaking food off m
AXEL’S POV:I swallowed the lump in my throat and turned back to Baron. “Take him to the dungeon.” Baron hauled Ryan up roughly. He didn’t resist. Didn’t struggle. Just held himself stiff. No remorse. No regret.That silence. That goddamn silence. I should’ve felt victorious. But all I felt was the ache of my heart shattering beyond repair. ***Ryan had always been the strongest in combat—the one who moved faster, hit harder, and never hesitated when it came to pulling the trigger. His skill with a gun was unmatched, his instincts sharp enough to predict a man’s next move before he even made it. And when it came to taking down an enemy, no one was more ruthless. Ryan was a fire—destructive, relentless. I had spent years trusting that fire to burn for me, to protect everything we’d built. But now? That same fire had consumed the bond between us, leaving nothing but ashes in its wake. All the CCTV across the entire mansion had gone dark. Every single camera—inside, outside, t
AXEL’S POV:I rose to my feet, her eyes hazy and wanting, and positioned myself between her thighs. She reached for me, and I guided myself in slowly, letting her feel every inch as I slid into her.She was tight, warm, and so damn perfect.We moved together in a rhythm only we could make. Her hands gripped my shoulders, her legs wrapped around my waist, and every thrust was slow and deep—built for connection, not just release.Her breathing hitched. Her nails bit into my skin.“Axel…” she called, her voice breaking on my name.“Look at me,” I said, and when she did, I swear I saw forever in those eyes.She came again, this time with her body clenching around me, pulling me deeper, dragging me into that same spiral of pleasure. I couldn’t hold back—I didn’t want to. I groaned against her neck as I came, burying myself to the hilt, her body the only home I’d ever known.When it was over, I didn’t move. I just held her.Her chest rose and fell against mine, skin damp, lips parted, eyes
AXEL’S POV:Believe me, I missed my wife.Yes, my body was practically screaming for hers, but it wasn’t just about that. It was about reclaiming something we lost—our rhythm, our connection, the way we used to know each other's needs without saying a word.Avery, the obedient tease, dropped to her knees without breaking eye contact. Her hands were already on my belt, and within seconds, she freed me from my trousers and briefs. My cock sprang up like it had been waiting all its life for this moment.“Damn,” she whispered, eyes widening.“What?” I asked, watching her reaction more than I cared to admit.“Did you get a new cock or something? I don’t remember it being this big. It got bigger,” she said, sounding part amazed, part suspicious.I let out a low chuckle. “Woman, I’ve always been this big. Don’t act brand new. You remember how I used to stretch you—how you used to scream into the pillow, begging me to slow down.”Her eyes darkened with something dangerous—desire, maybe mischi
AVERY’S POV:"His base would be in Miami. That’s our territory," Axel muttered, scrolling furiously through search results. "He has to be somewhere we already have dominance and power. So why the hell am I finding it difficult to trace him?""Maybe try your own homes," I said, biting into the cracker the hostess handed me. “The biggest and most discreet ones. You know, the kind no one ever talks about but everyone knows not to touch.”He stilled, glanced at me, then nodded slowly. “You’re right. He’s smart enough to hide in plain sight.”As he resumed his search, I finally allowed myself to chew. The snacks weren’t much, but they beat the dry, tasteless scraps I’d been surviving on at Orion. This was the first thing resembling real food I'd had in days."Serena," Axel called suddenly, not even lifting his eyes from the screen."Yes, Mr. Blackwood?" the flight attendant responded immediately, turning like she’d been waiting."Contact the tech team. Tell them I want the real-time locati
AVERY’S POV:We never noticed how much Orion had changed the nights we snuck out. The darkness cloaked everything, and in our desperation, we didn’t pay attention or question anything.But daylight doesn’t lie.It wasn’t until we came back down the slope—mud caking our boots, sunlight breaking through the trees—that we saw the truth. Burnt farmlands. Caved-in homes. Charred wooden posts where old lanterns used to hang. The trail had looked enchanted once. Now, it looked like a forgotten battlefield.The two men who guided us stopped near a cluster of boulders, gave a respectful nod, and wordlessly turned back. They didn’t look back once. Axel and I kept walking. And walking. It was torturous, but eventually, we came to a little town that looked almost deserted.Axel hurriedly found a payphone and made a phone call which my brain couldn't register due to how hungry and tired I was. My legs throbbed and my stomach kept reminding me how long it had been since that quick meal back in Or
AXEL’S POVIf I was still sane, it was only because my mind had already survived worse. That was the only explanation I had for not snapping the second we stepped foot back in the village.They saw us before we saw them.A shrill scream pierced the air, followed by the unmistakable hiss of metal drawn from sheaths. Blades flashed in the fading light. Men ran toward us with their swords raised, eyes wide with terror—not rage."Stay back!" someone yelled. "Don’t come any closer!""You shouldn't be here!" another man cried, backing away with trembling hands. "We buried you! You’re not real! You’re ghosts—vengeful spirits!"I tensed, stepping in front of Avery instinctively.Akira raised both hands, her voice strong but calm. "Peace! Peace, it's us!" she called out. "It's truly us. We've returned."The group hesitated, their weapons still raised, eyes darting between us like they were waiting for us to vanish in smoke. A woman dropped her bowl of water. It shattered on the ground."How is
AVERY’S POV:“What?” Axel blinked. “That has to be a joke.”Akira gave him a look. “When have you ever known me to joke?”“But—seven years?”She nodded. “It started counting differently once our spirits left the House of Judgment. One day in this temple equals one year in the human world.”I stared at her, trying to process. “So... when I was yelling at you two to wake up, that was normal time. But once we began the process—”“Time shifted,” she said. “You experienced four normal days and seven spiritual days. In the human world, it’s been over seven years.”Axel let out a breath. “So technically, I’m fifty-two now? Avery’s thirty-one? And Sea—” He paused. “She’d be thirteen.”“Not quite,” Akira replied calmly. “You didn’t age. None of us did. We still look, feel, and are the same age as when we first entered. But the world we’re going back to… it moved on.”I looked at my hands, then at Axel’s face. He hadn’t changed. Neither had I.“But everyone we left behind…” I whispered. “They c
AVERY’S POV:Apparently, I might not get everything back.But I have Axel. I have Akira. And for now, that was enough.Nothing’s been the same since I woke up seven days ago. Not even the way the air feels in my lungs. It’s lighter—but heavier, somehow. Akira had waited until the second morning to tell me.“There’s no heartbeat,” she said.Just like that.Axel looked just as stunned as I felt. His grip on my hand didn’t loosen, though. If anything, he held tighter.Later that night, while I stared up at the cracked ceiling, unable to stop the tears from creeping into my ears, he pulled me against him and said, “I’d rather let a child I’ve never met go than lose you. We’ll make another one, Avery. Don’t be too sad.”He’s been like that ever since.Solid. Ridiculous. Unshakable.When my sadness slips in, he trains with me. When I get too quiet, he cracks a joke—sometimes awful enough to make me roll my eyes, but it works.What surprised us both was how different we were. I took time to
AXEL’S POV:"You can’t mention any of this to anyone," Akira stated. "The last time we tried to be inclusive, half of us were wiped out, and the rest were exploited. Once this is over, we’d prefer to be left in peace. Our existence must remain a secret. We have so much to rebuild. Our land… it was ripped in two."That was my doing. I meaning the ripping the land into two part.And I swore, right then, to rebuild it for them. Every stone, every torn root, every inch of earth that had felt the weight of destruction—I would give it back.I understood her fear. People destroy what they don’t understand. And this place—this divine, terrifying place—was a miracle the outside world would dissect like a corpse. They wouldn’t see wonder; they’d see something to own. Something to use."I’ll respect your wish," I said quietly."Thank you."But my curiosity wasn’t done with me yet. "Tell me about this place. How was it founded? Who rules here—do you have a president? Prime minister? Or is this mo
AXEL’S POV:An invisible force surged through me like a pressure wave, ripping the air out of my lungs. Before I could blink, I was flung backward—lifted off my feet like a ragdoll and hurled through the air. The floor caught me with a punishing thud, pain ricocheting up my spine as the breath whooshed from my chest.I groaned, sprawled across the cold earth, my limbs momentarily useless.“Axel, quit it!” the woman snapped. “You’ve done enough already to piss off everyone. Just sit and wait.”I sat up slowly, dust clinging to my skin and frustration burning in my gut.“Do you think you care more about her than I do?”I didn’t reply. I didn’t have to.Because she didn’t love Avery as much as I did to care. So I thought. I didn’t need to hear it from her mouth to know I’d been screwing up left and right. Every time I acted on impulse, people paid the price. The burden of my mistakes stared back at me, and I reflected on the catastrophic consequences of my errors. If only I had been mo