SUV tires crunched on gravel, taking Alexander away. I stood frozen, lips tingling, mind spinning.

What. The. Hell.


My phone buzzed. That photo of Alexander entering Victor"s club glowed accusingly on my screen. But all I could think about was his kiss. The way his hands had cupped my face. The explosion of emotions through our blood connection.

Back in my apartment, I paced like a caged predator. Three centuries of emotional walls, shattered by one kiss.

"Get it together," I muttered. "You"ve survived plagues and wars. One werewolf CEO shouldn"t break you."


But the blood connection hummed between us. Even miles apart, his emotions pulsed through me—confusion, frustration, longing. Mirroring my own.

God, I was screwed.


"You look wrecked," Lillian said, sliding a glass of blood-red wine across the table at Nocturne.

"Thanks. Love you too."

"Spill it."

I told her everything—the fight, the kiss, the mysterious text.

She studied the photo on my phone, eyes narrowing. "This is from Victor"s monthly power-play gathering. Someone"s manipulating you."

"What do you know about werewolf marking? The real truth."

Her eyes widened. "Why?"

"Three centuries avoiding it because of Victor"s horror stories. What if he lied?"

She swirled her wine thoughtfully. "Marking wasn"t originally about control. It was connection. Protection. A survival bond."

"When did it change?"

"12th century. Great Wars. Alphas discovered they could command obedience." She leaned closer. "But that was a perversion."

"And the marked vampires dying?"

"Not natural deaths. Someone"s killing them deliberately." Her voice dropped. "The Book of Ancient Blood contains a prophecy—a union between wolf and vampire. Equal marking. ‘Blood and moon entwined, neither master nor servant.""

My heart raced. Our blood connection. Not a marking, but something new.

"Isabella," she touched my hand, "three centuries of running. Maybe it"s time to stop."

"I"m being cautious."

"You"re hiding." Her eyes softened. "Sometimes sharing control—voluntarily—is the most powerful choice."

Her words hit like lightning. Had I been confusing isolation with independence all this time?

Meanwhile, Alexander paced the pack grounds, radiating tension.

"You"re wearing a path in the grass," Jackson said.

Alexander glared. "Not now."

"The pack feels your distraction. They need their Alpha present."

"It"s Isabella," he admitted. "We… connected."

"And now you"re freaking out because you"re feeling things you swore you"d never feel after Sarah died."

"Don"t."

"Five years half-alive, Alex. Then this vampire walks in and suddenly you"re feeling again." Jackson"s eyes were knowing. "Terrifying, isn"t it?"

"She"s leaving once this is over."

"Did she say that? Or did you overhear part of a conversation?"

Alexander looked away. "She"s a vampire. I"m an Alpha. It would never work."

"Why not? What do you actually know about modern marking? Or are you still operating on your grandfather"s outdated information?"

Before Alexander could answer, his phone buzzed. "Financial attack. Bigger than before. And more vampire deaths reported."

His protective instincts flared. "Isabella—"

"Is probably fine." Jackson studied him. "But you"re worried anyway."

He was. More than he could admit.

I discovered patterns in the global financial networks—ancient code sequences embedded in modern algorithms. Digital DNA, replicating and spreading.

My phone lit up with Alexander"s text: "We need to talk. About Victor. Something"s happening."

My pulse quickened. Even separated, our minds aligned.

I replied: "Found patterns in global markets. When and where?"

"Tomorrow. Sunset. Botanical gardens."

As I set down my phone, an alert flashed. Someone had accessed my secure server. Using Victor"s encryption signature.

The game was changing. Time was running out.

And despite everything, all I could think about was seeing Alexander again. Feeling that electricity when our eyes met. Maybe finishing what that kiss had started.

Three centuries of caution screamed at me to run. But for the first time, a stronger voice whispered: stay.