The Gala of Wolves“We lost them.”For a minute Damien said nothing, his eyes stayed on the hallway which Amelia had just passed, his gaze unreadable.“Continue searching”, he stated simply, his gaze still on the hallway.Daniel nodded and returned to his tablet, minutes passed.The penthouse was quieter than usual.The sound of Marcus typing filled most of the room while Daniel stood near the kitchen counter with his phone pressed against his ear, speaking quietly to someone about security arrangements.Damien sat on the couch with a tablet in his hand, though he hadn’t looked at the screen in almost five minutes.His mind kept drifting back to the same thing.At the bus station, Amelia was sitting there soaked from the rain.The look on her face when she said: “I won’t ruin anything again.”The hallway door opened softly, and Damien looked up before he could stop himself.Amelia stepped out wearing dark jeans and a simple long-sleeved top. Her hair was still slightly damp from her s

The Gala...of Doom. “He was there, Damien,” Daniel’s voice bled through the phone speaker, cutting like glass in the quiet parking garage. “Probably less than five hours before they moved him.”Amelia’s breathing faltered beside him. The color completely drained from her face. “Damien … Aaron…”“Get in the car,” Damien interrupted. His voice wasn’t loud, but it had dropped to a dangerous, lethal register.“But the warehouse…”“Daniel’s team is already tracking the tire treads,” Damien said, slamming his door shut and turning the ignition. The engine roared to life, echoing aggressively against the concrete walls. “Nicholas thinks the boy is his shield. He thinks it buys him time to pull off this merger tonight.”Amelia gripped her seatbelt, her chest heaving. “So we’re still going?”Damien shifted into drive, his knuckles turning white against the steering wheel. “We are going to choke him out in public. If he loses his capital, he loses his escape route. We trap him tonight.”T

Judgement. The silence in the ballroom held for a beat, but as the guests looked at Damien’s pristine, midnight-black tuxedo and chiseled jawline, the initial shock began to fade into hushed, mocking whispers. High society’s arrogance was a stubborn thing. They knew the Pierce Group was struggling financially, but to them, Damien was still just a convicted thief who had served three years in prison."Look at him," a wealthy socialite sneered behind her champagne glass. "He cleans up nicely, I’ll give him that. He probably rented that suit and shoes from an upscale boutique just to show off.""Borrowed feathers," another man chuckled. "A beggar trying to play king. He probably spent his last dime trying to look important tonight."Hearing the whispers of the crowd, Nicholas felt a surge of renewed energy. The heavy, suffocating terror that had gripped his chest a moment ago evaporated, replaced by his usual venomous pride. He straightened his jacket and let out a loud, mocking laug

Echo of Silence. The heavy glass doors of the Oakhaven Grand Hotel slammed shut behind them, sealing in the disbelieving silence and the chaotic eruption that followed almost immediately.Outside, the midnight air was crisp and smelling of fresh rain. Damien kept his arm firmly around Amelia’s waist until they reached the vehicle, opening the door for her with the same quiet intensity he had carried inside.The moment the car doors thudded shut and the vehicle began moving into the city traffic, the stifling tension of the gala seemed to lift.Amelia turned in her seat, her eyes bright and alive with an adrenaline she hadn’t felt in years. "Damien, did you see their faces?" she said, a breathless, triumphant laugh escaping her lips. "Chloe looked like she forgot how to breathe the moment Chief Li bowed to you. And Nicholas ... when those handcuffs clicked on his wrists, his entire arrogant facade just evaporated. He was shaking!"She leaned forward slightly, her fingers tightly g

Amelia stared at the closed door for a long time after Damien left, the room was silent again. Only the faint sound of rain tapping softly against the glass windows remained.Slowly, she pulled herself up against the headboard, her fingers tightening slightly around the blanket resting on her lap.He came to check on me.That thought settled strangely in her chest. Not warm enough to comfort her. Not painful enough to ignore. Just… heavy.Amelia lowered her eyes. She remembered the look on his face inside the car earlier. Distant. Somewhere else entirely.Aaron.Everything always circled back to Aaron. And how could it not? He was Damien’s son. A little boy who was missing somewhere in this city while monsters walked around freely pretending to be human.Amelia understood that. God, she understood it too well. But it still hurt. Because for one stupid second inside that car, she had wanted him to look at her the way she had looked at him tonight. Like they had won together.I