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
AVERY’S POV:Each step away from Axel’s estate was a war. My body fought me with every breath, but my heart? It was the real enemy.I clutched my shirt tighter around me, the wind being mean like it had a personal vendetta. I jumped at the sound of a car swerving in the distance and ducked behind a low wall when two men laughed too loudly around the corner. I kept going, head down, tears streaming silently—not that anyone was around to notice. This was the second time in my life I was walking away from a man who had power over me. The first time, I ran from a monster. This time... I was walking away from my angel. And that was what made it hurt so damn much.My heart felt like it was dragging behind me, scraped raw and bleeding on the pavement. The thought of Axel—his hands, his warmth, the way his voice changed when he said my name—haunted me with every step. And Sea. God, Sea. I missed her so badly it physically hurt. My chest ached, my arms ached, my soul ached.The world sp
AVERY’S POV:The smell of fine earth, incense, and freshly turned soil filled my nostrils as my mind and body slowly woke up. Around me, harmonized chants and melodic singing wove through the air like a gentle caress. For a moment, I wondered if I had found heaven—a place of peace and solace after so many sleepless, torturous nights.I felt a light sting that vanished as quickly as it came, and I fluttered my eyes, trying to wake up from the most peaceful sleep I’d had in ages.I realized I was lying sideways, my face turned away from the world and my stomach pressed flat against the cool floor. The scent of cedar smoke and wild herbs lingered in the air. When I finally blinked my eyes open and raised my head, I found myself inside a hut that looked like it belonged in a forgotten fairytale. I was in an odd acupuncture pose, as if someone had deliberately positioned me for healing. Before I could gather my thoughts, a soft female voice spoke."She's awake," the voice said gently.I a
AVERY’S POV:"Oman was the first of us—a healer who survived the burning plague when entire villages perished. They say he walked through flame and came out whole. His gift passed down through the bloodline, marked by the tattoo only seers can see. We have guarded it for generations."Every word reverberated through me, mingling with the pain of the past and the shock of the present. I recalled vague memories of love and loss, of fleeting moments when my world had been whole. Now, the truth shattered that fragile illusion—Axel’s betrayal, my own mistakes, and the dark legacy that I had never even known.I burst into laughter—loud and out of place. The sound echoed in the quiet sanctuary like I’d just dropped a bomb into a library. I wiped a tear from the corner of my eye, not sure if it came from laughter or exhaustion. Maybe both.“Okay, Akira, please,” I said, waving my hand as if that could erase all the absurdity. “Let’s end this comedy show. What is this? Harry Potter’s lost trib
AVERY’S POV: By the time Akira finished the tour, I was dazed—like someone had spun me around too many times and dropped me into the middle of a dream. She didn’t need more words. No speeches or convincing. I was already there. The Temple of Oman and Kore stood like something from another century, carved into the belly of a mountain and wrapped in ivy that twisted into the shapes of runes I didn’t recognize. Stone pillars, etched with golden script, stretched toward the sky like they were holding it up. A soft mist rolled down from the peaks above, layering the steps in a silvery sheen. The entrance itself glowed faintly—breathing, almost—as if the temple was alive, watching me. Inside, it was quiet. Not the awkward kind of silence, but the sacred kind. The air smelled like sandalwood and ancient earth. Candles burned in long, neat rows, casting shadows that danced across murals on the stone walls—murals of people with glowing hands, wide green eyes, dark robes rippling in wind tha
AXEL'S POV:“Daddy, I want my mom. Bring back my mom.” Sea’s voice still replayed in my ears, the same broken plea she’d repeated for weeks. She wasn’t eating. Couldn’t sleep. Every day brought a new tantrum. A new heartbreak. And I couldn’t fix it.Sea was mostly in the care of Katie and Cedric while I lost myself. I shut the world out. Nothing entertained me. Nothing made me happy. I hated life right now. I stood at the window of my office, the city blurred behind a sheet of condensation. It was late, or early—I didn’t care anymore. I hadn’t left this house in days. Maybe weeks. The silence had become a kind of cell. A warden pressing its weight into my chest.Outside, it rained. Inside, I unraveled.The world was shattering beneath my feet.Word had spread—about the fallout between Ryan and me. About the medication. About how my strength was fading. Some of the Dons had already turned, sniffing out new allies like dogs chasing meat. Business was bleeding out. The foundation
AVERY’S POVI tried not to think about the past.Tried not to remember his hands, his voice, the way his eyes looked just before they went dark with rage. I pressed it down like a bruise, refusing to touch it. My strength had to go toward the present. Toward now.The village had become a balm. Quiet, nestled between the curve of two mountains and a forest that breathed with life. The people here spoke in soft tones and walked with purpose. They treated me like I mattered. Like I was someone sacred. The child in my womb was treated the same.I had never felt this kind of care. Not even with Axel.They taught me things—how to prepare herbal medicines, how to read the wind, how to listen to the trees. I was still learning, stumbling over some of their ways, but I was adapting. Slowly. Steadily. I had no other choice. This place was the only place I could exist freely. They were special. And when I wasn’t learning, I trained like I had something to prove.Akira made sure of that.“You mo
AVERY'S POV:The village lay in ruins. Nauseating. Smoke twisted upward from blackened roofs like ghostly fingers clawing at the sky. I stumbled forward, my breath caught between a gasp and a sob. The village I had grown to love had been reduced to a scene of quiet devastation.Birds scattered in a frenzied panic above as I approached. Leaves rustled violently even though the wind had died. The animals were gone. Not a goat or a dog in sight. My heart thundered as I broke into the clearing.Everyone had been rounded up.Men, women, children—on their knees in a wide circle, hands bound behind their backs, guarded by men in black tactical gear with sophisticated guns and emotionless expressions. Even Grandma Akira was among them. Her frail frame trembled as she struggled to remain upright, her silver hair streaked with ash and dried sweat, lips moving in silent prayer.The fighters who should’ve protected us lay bloodied at the edge of the clearing. Some unconscious. Others groaning, 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