HADES' POV
The mont I saw Darius's smug fucking face, the last thread of my restraint snapped.
My body moved before thought could catch up, pure instinct surging like a tidal wave. I yanked Eve behind , shielding her with my body as the flux surged, twisting through my bones like liquid fire.
"To hell with this alliance," I growled, my voice no longer fully my own—deep, guttural, a thing that did not belong to man. A promise of carnage. "I am wiping you out today."
Darius's smirk faltered for the first ti, his gaze flicking to my shifting form, to the way the flux lashed out around like living shadows. The room trembled with the sheer force of it.
I launched forward, murder in my veins—
And then Eve was suddenly there, her body a barrier between and my kill.
"Don't do this," she whispered, her voice tight, desperate. "Rember the plan. They are not worth it. I am alright."
Her hands pressed against my chest, small against the storm raging inside .
The abyss of my rage wavered.
I faltered.
Her face—gods, her face. Eyes searching mine, wide and pleading. Not for herself. For . To stop. To stay.
I had never hated anything more than the pain I saw in her expression at that mont.
The flux recoiled, slamming back into like a whip. My body jerked, trembling under the force of it. My claws curled inward, the edges digging into my palms as I forced myself to step back.
Not because of them.
Because of her.
Because I would tear through heaven and hell alike—but not if it ant losing the one person who could still reach .
A shuddering breath left as I shifted back, bones grinding as they reford. The flux coiled and simred, no longer screaming for blood but still writhing beneath my skin, restless.
I caught her before she could step away, pulling her close, my arms locking around her.
She let out a soft gasp, but she didn't pull away.
My hands cupped her face, my thumbs brushing over the delicate skin of her cheeks, searching. Searching for injuries, for proof that they had dared to touch what was mine.
"Eve," I breathed her na, my voice breaking under the weight of everything I felt—relief, rage, longing.
I pressed my forehead against hers, closing my eyes as I fought to steady myself.
Then, unable to stop myself, I kissed her.
Not on her lips—because if I kissed her there, I wouldn't stop. And I wasn't ready for that yet. Not while she still had one foot out the door.
So I kissed her on her head, long and lingering, my lips pressed against her temple as I breathed her in.
She was safe.
She was here.
And I was trembling from the weight of what I felt for her.
I could feel Darius watching. I could feel Jas, caught off guard. I didn't bother glancing at the Luna. I could feel Kael lingering, waiting for my next move.
But in this mont, none of them existed.
Only her.
And the desperate, unyielding truth that I would never let her go.
"Please, tell ," I whispered, afraid, my voice quivering from equal parts dread and hope. "What is your decision?"
She still had a say, even if that bastard had breached the terms we had laid out. I wanted to hope... Goddess, I needed her to choose—to choose , to choose us.
"I am going nowhere," she replied imdiately, even though her voice was shaky, her eyes still blown wide.
Relief washed over like cool water, dampening the flas of my rage but not fully extinguishing them. The flux still snarled beneath my skin, coiling and shifting, but Eve's words were an anchor, a tether pulling back from the edge of destruction.
I let out a shuddering breath, pressing my lips against her temple once more, lingering there as if, by sheer force of will, I could imprint my soul onto her skin despite the marks we had inflicted on each other.
Then I turned to them.
"I had thirty fucking minutes. I am giving you only thirty seconds to tell what exactly you just fucking did."
Darius stepped forward, his face a mask of feigned contrition. "Just extra asures we put in place that went a little haywire," he said smoothly. "We didn't think you'd actually hold your side of the bargain and not storm in." His gaze flicked to the twisted wreckage of the door, and the corner of his mouth twitched. "You're not exactly known for your self-control."
The bastard was baiting .
A muscle in my jaw ticked, my fingers curling instinctively. My body vibrated with the need to tear that smug expression off his face, to sink my claws into his throat and remind him exactly why they feared .
But before I could take a step, a soft, steadying pressure landed on my wrist.
Eve.
Her touch was barely there, a whisper of warmth against my skin, but it was enough. Enough to tether when the flux threatened to consu everything in its path.
Darius watched with sharp, amused eyes, like he knew exactly what was going through my head.
"It was just a kinetic displacent field," he continued, voice lazy, like this wasn't a direct provocation. "A simple repulsion system designed to absorb and redirect force. Harmless, really. But, of course, nothing is a match for the Hand of Death." He gestured lazily to the remains of the door. "You just reminded why this alliance is in place. I can't afford to have you as an enemy."
I clenched my teeth so hard my jaw ached. My vision pulsed red, but I forced myself to breathe, to keep my focus sharp.
The mont my flux had cracked the shield, I had felt it—sothing beneath the surface, sothing deliberate. That wasn't just a security asure. That was a test.
And I would find out what.
A movent at the edge of my vision had snapping my head toward the corridor.
My Gammas had filled the space, weapons drawn.
Kael let out a slow, deliberate breath beside , his fingers flexing like he was resisting the urge to give the order. His gaze flickered to in silent question—What now?
I turned back to Jas, the bastard who had started all this. "The cara audio," I bit out, voice like a blade.
Jas had the audacity to shrug. "No idea what you an, Your Majesty."
Liar.
My teeth ground together. This was the second ti I had seen their systems pull this exact trick. That wasn't a coincidence.
Silverpine was dabbling.
My gut twisted with the knowledge. They had sothing—sothing powerful enough to suppress audio surveillance selectively. A technology designed to rewrite evidence in real ti.
Even if it wasn't a perfect system yet, they were getting close.
They were trying to kill two birds with one stone. The first bird was this bloody chaos, and the second was a display of their own power—a warning that they had their own weapons if things between our packs ever soured.
They had so heat. But I was already watching. They didn't know that yet.
Jas spoke again, his voice oozing false sincerity. "We breached the terms, and therefore, we will be sticking to the arrangent. We will leave, and no matter what happens," he paused for dramatic effect, "we will not be back. No matter what." His gaze shifted to Eve. "Unless Eve decides otherwise."
"That will not be happening." Her voice had a tremor.
"Never say never, dear. Things change in a blink."
She stiffened.
"Enough babbling. Leave."
"Much obliged," Jas replied, his voice oily. His gaze lingered on Eve as they began to exit. "I will wait for your call, Scarlet."
The growl that escaped made him move faster, the Beta almost falling over his feet.
Next was Darius and his wife, whom he was suddenly holding close.
He stopped in front of , his smirk unwavering. "And one last thing—help thank Felicia. Her second ti assisting , but I will always be grateful."
My blood turned to ice.
Felicia.
Second ti?
Before I could process what I had just heard, a grip latched onto my arm.
My eyes flickered to Lyra. Her pupils were black pinpricks in the pool of moss green, a ssage in their eerie depths. As suddenly as she grabbed , she let go, following her husband, her slightly hunched as though she wanted to disappear.
***
Tomorrow five chapters will be dropped, I am sorry. Things will be regular again after my exams.
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