Xaris Albamus stepped out of the helicopter. The wind from the rotors tugged lightly at his coat as he made his way toward the private entrance of the upscale bar below.
Without wasting a second, Xaris walked into the high-end elevator tucked discreetly beside the bar.
That was where he was supposed to et the woman he had invested so much money in.
The mory of the previous encounter flashed briefly in his mind.
After spotting Dominick in the bar earlier, Xaris had been forced to leave imdiately. Staying even a minute longer would have been reckless. Gridlock had beco increasingly dangerous territory for him, especially with certain powerful figures now moving around there.
Yet despite the risk, he had returned.
For two reasons.
First, because he had already poured a significant amount of money into this arrangent.
And second... because he intended to leave this place permanently after tonight.
His assistant hurried beside him and pressed the button on the elevator panel. The doors slid shut before he respectfully stepped back.
The elevator began to descend.
"Alpha," the assistant spoke cautiously, breaking the silence, "why do you need soone like her? She’s only a lowly oga. Coming here for this was already a considerable risk."
Xaris didn’t look at him imdiately. Instead, his gaze remained fixed on the digital display above the door as the floor numbers slowly changed.
"Because she isn’t an ordinary oga."
The assistant frowned slightly, confusion evident on his face.
"What does Alpha Xaris an by that?" he asked, unable to hide his curiosity.
"She’s a suppressive oga," Xaris replied calmly. "Such ogas are rare. When paired with alphas, they are said to produce stronger offspring. That is precisely why I need her."
His voice carried the quiet certainty of soone who had already made up his mind. Then he shifted his attention to his assistant.
"And did you ask Milo to bring the last set of docunts?" he asked. "I don’t want a single trace left behind."
"Yes, Alpha," the assistant answered imdiately.
Just then, the elevator slowed before coming to a smooth stop. The doors slid open with a soft chi.
Both n stepped out and walked down the dimly lit corridor toward a secured private room reserved exclusively for high-profile clients.
When the door opened, Xaris stepped inside.
His gaze imdiately landed on the woman sitting quietly in the corner.
Jeniva Moore.
She sat with a calm expression as if she had been waiting there for so ti. But the first thing Xaris noticed wasn’t her expression.
It was the scent.
A faint but unmistakable alpha pheromone clung to her, layered over her own scent. It was subtle, almost as if soone had intentionally left it there to mark her presence... Or to protect her.
Xaris’s brows drew together slightly.
His sharp eyes swept around the room, assessing the surroundings with quiet suspicion.
Just then, the bar manager stepped forward politely.
"Alpha Xaris, please have a seat," he said, gesturing toward the seating area prepared for them.
"I’m not here to sit," Xaris said curtly, his gaze fixed on Jeniva. "I ca for her."
The bar manager imdiately straightened.
"Of course, sir."
He turned toward Jeniva and gave her a subtle signal to stand.
Jeniva rose from her seat without protest. Her movents were calm and controlled as she walked toward Xaris. When she stopped before him, he extended his hand toward her in silent expectation.
For a brief mont, she hesitated. Then she slowly placed her palm into his.
Without another word, Xaris turned and began walking toward the elevator again, pulling her along with him. Behind them, his assistant remained in the room to collect the final set of docunts from Milo.
The corridor outside was quiet.
When the elevator doors opened, Xaris and Jeniva stepped inside together. The doors slid shut, sealing them in the confined space.
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.
Then Xaris finally broke the silence.
"Were you with anyone during all this ti?" he asked, his sharp eyes shifting toward her. "I can sll an Alpha’s pheromones on you," Xaris said slowly, his eyes narrowing as he studied her. "It’s almost as if they’re warning not to touch you."
As he spoke, he took a step closer. Instinctively, Jeniva stepped back until her back finally hit the cold tal wall of the elevator. The enclosed space suddenly felt smaller for them. She forced herself to remain calm, keeping her breathing steady.
She just needed the right mont.
"But it doesn’t matter," Xaris continued as he closed the distance between them. "Once we leave Gridlock... you’ll belong to ."
Jeniva lowered her gaze slightly, pretending submission while secretly watching the floor indicator above the door.
"I’m a useless oga," she said quietly.
Her eyes flicked back to the glowing numbers.
12.
13.
Her fist slowly tightened at her side.
"No," Xaris said confidently. "You’re not."
That was the mont.
Before he could react, Jeniva’s fist shot forward with full force. Her punch landed squarely across his face, the impact so sudden and powerful that Xaris staggered backward, completely caught off guard.
Before he could recover, Jeniva moved again.
In one swift motion, she reached beneath the slit of her dress and pulled out a small electric gun strapped discreetly to her thigh.
She aid it straight at his chest and fired.
The jolt of electricity surged through his body instantly. Xaris froze for a split second, his muscles locking as the shock overtook him.
Xaris’s body collapsed heavily onto the elevator floor, his consciousness slipping away as the shock from the electric gun coursed through him.
A few seconds later, the elevator slowed and stopped at the 15th floor.
The doors slid open with a soft chi.
A man stepped inside imdiately.
"Let’s move him out of here," Jeniva said quickly, her voice low but urgent. "You shut down the CCTVs, right, AJ?"
"Yes," AJ replied, already bending down beside the unconscious alpha. "But they’ll only stay offline for two minutes. We have to hurry."
He hooked Xaris’s arm over his shoulder and, with so effort, lifted the heavy body onto his back. Xaris was taller and strongly built, making the task far from easy, but AJ managed to secure his grip.
Jeniva stepped out of the elevator first and quickly checked the empty hallway.
"Clear," she whispered.
Together, they moved swiftly down the corridor and pushed open the ergency staircase door. The heavy door shut behind them with a muted thud as they began descending the stairs instead of risking another elevator ride.
A few flights below, Xaris’s fingers twitched.
His eyelids fluttered slightly.
Though the electric shock had knocked him out, the residual current still pulsed through his chest, leaving faint vibrations in his muscles. Slowly, his eyes began to move beneath his lids, signaling the first signs of returning consciousness.
Despite regaining fragnts of awareness, Xaris couldn’t move his body properly. He forced his eyelids open.
His vision was blurred at first, but slowly the surroundings ca into focus. The dim stairwell lights flickered above as he realized he was slung over soone’s back.
Ahead of him, he saw Jeniva moving quickly down the stairs.
They were trying to escape with him.
By the ti they reached the underground level, the numbness in his body had started to fade. Strength returned to his limbs in sudden bursts.
Without warning, Xaris lashed out.
His fist slamd into AJ’s side with brutal force.
The impact threw AJ off balance, and both of them crashed hard onto the concrete floor.
Jeniva imdiately stopped and spun around.
What she saw made her react instantly. Xaris was already on top of AJ, his claws extended as he tried to rip into him.
Jeniva rushed forward and grabbed both of Xaris’s arms from behind, locking them tightly to restrain him.
"Move! Hurry!" she shouted.
AJ coughed violently as he scrambled away, trying to regain his breath.
Xaris glanced back at her, confusion and irritation flashing across his face.
"How is an oga stronger than an alpha?" he muttered under his breath.
"I’m not an ordinary oga as you think of ," Jeniva replied. She realised his strength quickly began to overpower her hold.
With a sudden shove, he twisted free and shoved her away. Jeniva’s body flew backward, her back was going to hit the concrete pillar behind her.
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