Owen's POV – Human World, New Avalon District
The rain had just started when I stepped in front of her door.
Even now, even after everything, my heartbeat betrayed . The quiet street humd with static tension. The sky above cracked with distant thunder, like the world was holding its breath.
I stared at the tall, obsidian-glass door in front of . Her ho. Or more accurately, her fortress.
Yvette Jennings.
Royal-blooded enigma. Beauty wrapped in cunning. She once looked at like I was the only thing real in her world—before she tried to rewrite mine.
I knocked.
Once. Twice. The sound was sharp, deliberate.
Monts passed. I could feel her energy inside—calm, amused, curious.
Then the door opened.
She stood there barefoot, in a silk robe the color of crimson wine. Her silver-blonde hair cascaded over one shoulder, her eyes a striking violet, the kind that always saw too much.
"Well well," she said, leaning against the doorfra. "The mighty Alpha cos knocking. What's the matter? Run out of people to punch?"
Her voice hadn't changed. Velvet, teasing, lethal.
I kept my tone flat. "I need the scroll, Yvette."
She arched an eyebrow. "Straight to business. I'm impressed. Disappointed... but impressed."
I didn't flinch. "It's important. The kind of important that decides if worlds burn or not."
She studied for a mont, and then turned her back to , walking inside without another word. The door stayed open.
I took the invitation and followed.
The interior was pure elegance—books, artifacts, ancient maps, and a scent that used to remind of nights we didn't talk, only breathed into each other's skin.
She stopped by her marble desk and leaned back on it. "The Royal Scroll. You know I don't just give things away."
"I know," I said. "Which is why I ca with a deal."
Her violet eyes glittered. "A deal? Oh, Owen. That's dangerous. You never were good at those."
I stepped closer. "You give the scroll. I use it. We stop the Null Architects from opening the Forsaken Veil. When this is over, I return it. Untouched. Untampered. You don't lose anything."
"And what do I get besides good karma and a thank-you note?"
I t her gaze directly. "Tell what you want. Anything within reason. I'll honor it. No tricks. No strings."
She looked almost surprised. Then, slowly, a smile curved her lips. But it wasn't mocking—it was intrigued.
"That's very un-Alpha of you. Very... desperate."
"Try responsible," I said quietly. "I'm not the man you used to know, Yvette."
She ca closer, her steps soundless on the marble floor. "Oh, I know. You're colder now. Harder. More calculating. Honestly... it suits you."
Then, softly, she reached up and brushed a strand of wet hair from my forehead.
"What I want," she murmured, "is a promise."
I stayed still.
"You will owe one favor. Sothing of my choosing. When the ti is right. You don't ask questions, you just say yes. Deal?"
I knew better than to underestimate her.
But I also knew we didn't have ti.
I nodded. "Deal."
Yvette's smile turned to sothing more victorious than warm. She stepped past , opened a hidden panel behind one of her bookshelves, and pulled out a sealed obsidian case with golden runes.
She handed it to .
"Don't break it," she said. "It's bound to . If you tamper with the seal, I'll know."
I took it, holding her gaze. "You'll get it back. I swear it."
She tilted her head slightly. "I never doubted that."
Then her fingers brushed mine, just for a second longer than necessary.
"Tell Roselle," she said, "I don't like her. But I do admire her style."
I turned to go.
The door opened on its own behind as I stepped back into the storm.
And still, I could feel her eyes on my back until I vanished into the rain.
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