Caught Between Two WorldsI can’t breathe.Julian’s eyes pin me in place like a predator waiting for its prey to break. His voice, smooth and commanding, lingers in the air between us. “You know what to do, Nathan.” A simple command, but one laced with the weight of a thousand decisions I never wanted to make.I swallow hard, forcing my body to remain still, though my heart pounds against my ribs like a caged animal. If I refuse, Julian will know I’m lying. If I follow through, I lose myself forever.And yet, my hesitation is its own betrayal.I shift in my seat, pressing my palms flat against my thighs to stop them from clenching into fists. "And if I say no?" My voice is steady—too steady. It’s a lie in itself.Julian leans forward, a smirk curling at the corner of his lips. "Then we both know what happens next." His words slither into the space between us, filling it with something thick and suffocating.I glance at the others in the room. Spectators. Pieces on Julian’s chessboard.

The DecisionSmoke curls through the air, thick and suffocating. The acrid scent of burning metal stings my nose, mixing with the chaos of shouts and gunfire. My hands are steady on my weapon, but my pulse is a different story—pounding, relentless.I didn’t hesitate. I made my choice.But making a choice is one thing. Surviving it? That’s another.The Resistance fighters are scattering, trying to retreat through the back exits. The Oath’s enforcers are closing in, sweeping the perimeter, hunting. If I don’t make this look convincing, Julian will know. He already suspects. I saw it in his eyes before the gunfire started—he was watching for weakness, waiting for the moment I gave myself away.I need to play this right.Riley moves in the corner of my vision, dark hair whipping as she darts toward the exit. Elias is covering her, taking down an enforcer with two clean shots before moving toward the opposite side. Nyla stays back, knife flashing as she deals with a soldier who got too clo

A Dangerous OrderJulian’s voice was steady, devoid of hesitation. “Bring me Riley.”Two words. Simple. Direct. And yet, they shattered something inside me.I kept my face still, unreadable, though my stomach twisted in protest. Riley. The woman I’d sworn to protect. The woman who had, against all odds, trusted me.A threat, Julian called her. A loose end.I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of his gaze pressing against me like a steel vice. Julian never made idle requests. This was an order.Betray her, or betray myself.Silence stretched between us, thick with expectation. I forced myself to breathe evenly, to keep my hands from curling into fists. This was a test—one of many he’d put me through.“Is there a problem, Nathan?” Julian asked smoothly, tapping his fingers against the polished surface of his desk.Problem? Yeah. The problem was that I wasn’t the man he thought I was. Not anymore.I met his gaze. “What do you want me to do with her?”Julian smiled, slow and knowing. “Tha

The UnravelingWe barely had time to breathe.Riley and I hit the alley pavement hard, rolling to absorb the impact. The night air was thick with the scent of rain and gunpowder, but we had no time to appreciate either. Footsteps pounded above us—Julian’s men, scrambling to follow.“Move,” I barked, grabbing Riley’s wrist. We bolted, our boots slamming against the wet asphalt as we tore through the backstreets.She glanced over her shoulder, eyes sharp. “Tell me there’s a plan.”“There was.” I exhaled. “It’s currently on fire.”We turned a corner, slipping into the shadows of a loading dock. The city pulsed around us—horns blaring, neon lights flickering in the distance. For a second, it felt like we’d made it.Then the slow clap started.Julian’s voice cut through the dark, smooth as silk. “You almost had me, Nathan.”My stomach dropped.Riley stiffened beside me.I turned. He was standing under the glow of a streetlamp, his crisp black suit unruffled, his expression unreadable. Behi

The Final PlanThe weight of the truth settled in my chest like an anchor, dragging me down into a darkness I couldn’t escape. The Oath wasn’t just controlling governments. They weren’t just puppeteers pulling strings from the shadows.They were the storm itself.They created the chaos. Wars, economic collapses, pandemics—none of them were random. They were manufactured, carefully orchestrated disasters meant to keep the world in a perpetual state of fear. And fear? That was their currency. Their power.I clenched my fists, my pulse a rapid, angry drum in my ears.Destroying them wouldn’t just be about exposing corruption or dismantling an organization. It would change everything. It would mean unraveling the very fabric of what people believed was reality.Was the world even ready for that?“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Gabriel muttered from across the dimly lit room. He leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his ever-present smirk absent for once. “And knowing you, I’m guessi