Two women sat before the low fire-the High Prophetess and Adriana's mother. The flames danced across the Prophetess's face, casting deep shadows that made her eyes seem endless. Outside, the night was silent...almost as if the stars were listening.
The Prophetess began, her voice low and deliberate.
"She is the queen-to-be. All of us know this.
But a crown means nothing if the blood remains asleep."
Adriana's mother's fingers tightening in her lap.
"You speak of her serpent blood."
The Prophetess's gaze sharpened.
"Yes. She carries the breath of the serpent, the blood of the throne. But unless she bonds with her mate soon...the serpent within her will slumber until it is stolen."
The fire hissed, and her voice became a dangerous whisper.
"Her mate will be her shield. Without her, Adriana's blood will be taken, her birthright ripped away. And the serpent throne will fall...before she ever sits upon it."
The Prophetess lowered her head over the flames, shadows swallowing her face.
"Her blood is not like ours," she murmured.
"It carries the venom of queens past...power that can bend Alphas and Omegas to her will."
Adriana's mother's breath caught.
The Prophetess's voice grew sharper, almost hissing.
"If the enemy drinks it, they will take the serpent's power for themselves. They will stand where she should stand. And the park will kneel to a false king or queen."
She looked up suddenly eyes white with vision.
"When the bond is made, her blood will awaken and bind itself to her mate. No thief, no enemy, no traitor will be able to take it.
But until that bond...she is exposed.
Vulnerable."
The fire flared, casting the Prophetess's features in stark, frightening light.
"Find her mate. Bind them. Or lose her...forever."
...
Angela froze in Maria's arms.
For a moment, the world around her went still.
Maria's eyes...they didn't look human.
A faint, molten shimmer rippled through them, her pupils narrowing into thin vertical slits. Vex shifted along her shoulders, its coils tightening as though it, too, sensed the prey.
Angela's breath caught. She couldn't look away.
The pull in Maria's gaze was magnetic, almost hypnotic-the kind that made the air feel heavier, as though time itself had slowed.
Maria's hold was not tight, yet it bound her completely, as though invisible coils wrapped had around her. Her skin carried a strange coolness, but underneath it thrummed a quiet dangerous strength.
Then the realization struck sharp and merciless.
The one who had hated her to the core.
The one who had ruined her life.
The one who had set her on the path to death.
She had never imagined she would see this person again in this lifetime. And yet, here she was in her arms, Vex's coils resting upon her like a silent crown.
Maria blinked. The shimmer vanished, her pupils widening back to normal. Vex loosened, draping quietly across her neck. Her expression smoothed into the practiced calm of someone who will give nothing away.
The door creaked open.
Maria straightened quickly, a reflex to mask the awkward closeness.
Tessa stepped inside and inclined her head in a small bow. "Alpha Adriana," she greeted.
Then her tone shifted, almost curious. "I didn't expect you to be in the basement of In-between Betas and Omegas."
Maria looked at her in confusion.
Tessa's gaze slid to Angela. "Are you coming? I've been sent by the head of selection. Your clients are complaining you've stayed too long here."
Maria's brows knit. "Clients? Which clients?"
Tessa didn't hesitate. "Our clients the ones who come and buy us...to be entertained."
The words landed heavy on Maria.
A slow burn rose in her chest-instinct, anger, and something far more dangerous. Her Alpha senses sharpened, locking onto Angela as if drawn by an unseen pull.
Was it true?
Her enemy.
Her stepsister.
The very one her senses pointed toward the truth she refused to name.
Her Omega...reduced to this.
An upper deep-end aqua growl rose in the back of her shoulders, uncoiling with her breath. Vex around her shifted, its coils tightening as though it, too, felt her unease.
Her hand lifted almost on instinct, sliding to Angela's neck not crushing, but firm, claiming, like the slow wrap of a serpent. Her thumb pressed beneath the curve of Angela's jaw, feeling the rapid flutter of her pulse.
Her breathing deepened, the sound low and edged. "When did this start?" she asked, her voice a quite demand.
Angela's eyes widened. She froze, Omega instincts holding her still. Fear flickered in her gaze, tangled with confusion, as if she could not read the sudden change in Maria's eyes.
The air between them felt stretched, tight...ready to break.
Then, from beyond the door, a rough male voice cut in.
"Bitch! Where are you? You've taken too long.
Think you can hide from us?"
A second voice followed, deeper and sharper.
"We paid for you. Come out now, or we'll come in and drug you out ourselves."
The words slammed into the charged silence, shattering it.
Vex's head lifted, tongue flicking, as Maria's grip on Angela's neck tightened almost imperceptibly.
Tessa's voice slid into the tense space. "They're here."
Maria's gaze flicked to her, the warning settling like a stone in her gut.
From beyond the door came a slurred, jeering laugh.
"Still hiding, little dove? Don't make us chase you."
Another voice chimed in, rougher and darker.
"Come on...you know you're ours tonight. Stop playing hard to get."
The taunting was laced with liquor and arrogance. It struck something deep inside Maria; a dangerous mix of confusion, protectiveness, and barely leashed fury. Why am I reacting like this...to my worst enemy?
Her hand slipped from Angela's neck, curling into a fist restlessly along her shoulders as she strode toward the door.
Without hesitation, she cracked it open.
The door creaked just enough to reveal a silver of the hallway beyond.
Two men leaned against the wall opposite both unsteady on their feet, the scent of cheap liquor clinging to them like sweat. One had a crooked grin plastered across his face, his eyes glassy and unblinking. The other was rolling a coin between his fingers, a lazy smirk twisting into something mean.
Their chatter faltered the instant they saw her.
Maria didn't step out-she didn't need to. She simply stood in the doorway, her gaze steady and unflinching. The dim light caught the faint molten gleam in her eyes, and Vex coiled over her shoulders shifted, its head lifting ever so slightly.
Neither man spoke. For a beat, the only sound was the soft flick of Vex's tongue tasting the air.
Maria's voice, when it came, was low. "You're looking for someone.
The men froze under Maria's gaze, but the fear on their faces couldn't hide the liquor in their veins. One of them shifted his weight, squaring his shoulders as if to remind himself he was still in control.
He jabbed a finger toward Angela. "We need her. She belongs to us."
The other man smirked, though it faltered under Maria's unblinking stare. "We bought her...paid a damn good price. She cost us plenty."
Maria's expression didn't change, but the faint coil of Vex tightened against her neck. Her voice was quiet, but every word landed with weight. "She's not going with you."
The defiance in her tone rippled through the room. A few nearby Omegas paused in their work, glancing at each other before edging closer. Whispers began to spread.
The murmurs grew louder. Workers began to drift in, curiosity drawing them closer. Then Maria's driver-bodyguard, Phillip, appeared at her side, followed quickly by Rhea, her sharp eyes scanning the room, and Sienna, moving like a deadly shadow at her flank.
Angela stood thin and still where she was, her gaze unfocused. She was utterly confused what was happening here? Why were they fighting over her...even Maria, the one she had only just met? What is going on here?"
The murmurs thickened. Workers began drifting in from the side corridors, curiosity tugging them closer.
Then a firm, deliberate voice cut through the crowd.
"What is going on here?"
The parting of bodies revealed her, the head of selection, her presence enough to stiff half the whispers. Her sharp eyes found Maria first. She inclined her head in a respectful bow.
"Alpha Adriana."
Before she could say more, one of the men jabbed a finger toward Angela. "Tell her! She belongs to us. We've paid for her handsomely."
The head of selection's gaze shifted briefly to the man, then Maria.
She stepped closer, lowering her voice just enough. "This one...she's a low class Omega. Ranked between Betas and Omegas. I can find you a higher class Omega- a first class, if you wish."
Maria's gaze didn't waver. "I want her."
One of the men barked a bitter laugh, stepping forward. "Do you know how much she's cost us? She's fresh. Untouched. Worth every coin we paid."
The words lodged in Maria's chest. Fresh. Untouched.
Her mind flicked she was the daughter of a CEO in another life. She could buy ten of them if she wished. But this...even if Angela was her enemy, even if she hated her to the bone, she would not allow these men to stain her.
Her voice was steady, almost cold.
"I will repay the amount twenty times."