Ryan did not take Hazel to just any hotel.
He took her to The Obsidian Crown—the most luxurious hotel in the city.
His hotel.
When the black car stopped beneath a golden-lit entrance, Hazel stared up at the towering building, speechless. Crystal chandeliers glowed behind glass walls, fountains danced at the entrance, and uniformed staff bowed the moment Ryan stepped out.
Hazel looked at him.
"You own this?"
Ryan casually adjusted his cufflinks.
"Yes."
She blinked.
"Of course you do."
His mouth tilted.
"Come, little mate."
The words sent heat rushing to her face.
Inside, marble floors shimmered like moonlight. A grand piano played somewhere in the distance, and roses lined the corridor leading toward a private elevator.
Hazel turned slowly, overwhelmed.
"This is… unreal."
Ryan leaned near her ear.
"Wait until you see the penthouse."
The private elevator opened directly into a suite larger than some mansions.
Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the entire city.
Soft lights.
White roses.
A fireplace.
And a candlelit dinner waiting.
Hazel stopped walking.
"You planned all this?"
Ryan pulled out a chair for her.
"I plan everything."
Then his gaze darkened.
"Especially where you're concerned."
Dinner stretched into hours.
They laughed.
Talked.
Teased.
Hazel learned things no one knew about Ryan—
how he built Smith Company.
How he secretly acquired Malone Company.
How he once broke a billionaire's jaw in a boardroom.
She laughed so hard she nearly spilled wine.
"You are terrifying."
Ryan lifted a brow.
"You say that like it's not attractive."
She nearly choked.
He smirked.
The man enjoyed making her blush.
And she was beginning to suspect he knew it.
After dinner they stepped onto the balcony.
The city below looked endless.
Ryan stood behind Hazel, close enough she could feel his heat.
His voice was low.
"When I was younger…"
She turned, surprised.
Ryan rarely spoke of his past.
"I used to stand in places like this and wonder if fate was cruel enough to make me powerful… and still leave me alone."
Hazel's expression softened.
"And now?"
Ryan looked at her.
Now his eyes held no Alpha dominance.
Only raw truth.
"Now I found you."
Her breath caught.
The silence between them deepened.
Dangerously.
Tenderly.
Ryan lifted a hand.
Touched her cheek.
"Hazel…"
Her name sounded different in his mouth.
Like worship.
Like hunger.
Like home.
For one impossible moment she thought he would kiss her.
Instead—
he rested his forehead against hers.
And whispered—
"Not yet."
The restraint somehow made it worse.
More intimate.
More devastating.
Later…
The night had grown late.
Hazel stood in the suite's bedroom doorway in one of the silk robes the hotel had provided, suddenly shy.
Ryan, loosened from his usual polished control, looked unfairly handsome.
He crossed to her.
Slowly.
No predator.
No Alpha.
Just Ryan.
He brushed her knuckles.
"Stay with me tonight."
Hazel looked up.
"We're already here."
His mouth curved.
"I mean in my arms."
Her heart betrayed her again.
She nodded.
And somehow that simple gesture felt more intimate than anything.
They lay together on the enormous bed, not as Alpha and Luna.
Not as prophecy and heir.
Just two people breathing the same air.
Ryan lay on his back while Hazel rested against his chest.
His arm wrapped around her.
Protective even in sleep.
She traced circles on his shirt.
"Ryan?"
"Yes?"
"Are you always this soft when no one is watching?"
He gave a quiet laugh.
"Only with you."
Her eyes grew heavy.
Sleep pulled at her.
And before drifting off she whispered—
"I'm glad you asked me."
Ryan kissed her hair.
"I would have kept asking until you said yes."
By morning…
They were tangled together beneath silk sheets, sunlight warming the room.
Hazel woke in his arms.
Ryan was already awake, watching her.
"You stare too much," she murmured.
He smirked.
"And yet you stayed."
Then his expression sharpened.
"Get dressed."
She blinked.
"Why?"
"We're going back to my mansion."
He stood.
And added with dark amusement—
"And I have a feeling the world is waiting to interrupt our peace."
Hazel laughed…
not knowing what waited at Ryan's gate.
A man named Kyle.
Sleeping there.
Waiting.
Obsessed.
And their real troubles in the human world were only beginning.