Chapter 7
The key felt heavy in my palm, cold against my skin like a promise, or a curse.
Ten minutes.
That’s all I had.
My heart hammered like a war drum as I moved toward the heavy black door. The one leading out of Vexx’s empire, out of the velvet prison, out of everything that had become my nightmare.
But as I reached for the handle, his voice stopped me.
“Kessia.”
I didn’t turn.
“Remember this...” He stepped closer, his breath warm on my neck, “no one hunts harder than the wolves you command. Leaving means they’ll come for you. Alone.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat and twisted the key.
The door creaked open.
Outside, the city lights flickered through the mist like distant stars. Freedom felt just within reach.
I stepped forward.
And the door slammed shut behind me. The city breathed around me like a living beast, its cold neon eyes cutting through the night fog. Every shadow felt like a mouth ready to snap shut. I gripped the black velvet choker tight under my shirt, hidden, but impossible to forget.
The key burned in my pocket. Freedom tasted like metal and fear. I wasn’t sure if I wanted it anymore.
Suddenly, a voice cut through the silence, a soft growl, familiar and deadly.
“Running won’t save you.”
I spun.
Behind me, a figure stepped from the mist, one of Vexx’s enforcers. Tall, sharp-eyed, muscles coiled like a panther ready to strike.
“I’m not running,” I said, voice steady, but my heart was a drum in my chest.
His lips curled into a wolfish grin. “You already are.”
Before I could react, he shifted, half-man, half-wolf, with fur bristling and claws gleaming. The air around us charged electric.
I took a step back, but something inside me hummed, a deep, raw power.
“Stop,” I whispered.
He froze.
Eyes wide.
I hadn’t even raised my voice.
My voice.
It was happening again. The same power that had frozen the pack. The power that made Vexx’s wolves obey me.
The enforcer dropped to all fours, panting, eyes glazed with something like devotion.
I backed away faster.
My breath caught.
This power was a weapon.
But I was the only one holding the trigger. I’d pressed pause on his whole body.
I stared down at him, heart pounding so loud I thought it might burst.
“Why?” I whispered.
His breath fogged in the cold night air, shallow, waiting.
I swallowed. “Why are you obeying me?”
A low growl rumbled in his throat.
“I’m not a shifter,” I reminded myself. “I’m just a music teacher.”
But my voice… it didn’t lie.
And neither did his reaction.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed behind me.
A shadow stepped from the mist, tall and sleek as a black panther. Vexx.
His golden eyes locked onto mine, sharp as a blade.
“Using your voice again?” His voice was a dangerous purr.
I clenched my fists. “I don’t want this.”
He smiled, a slow, wicked curve that made my blood run cold.
“You don’t get to choose that anymore.”
I looked away. “Then what am I?”
His gaze softened, just for a second. “Mine. But more than that… something the city’s never seen before.”
I shivered.
“You’re the most dangerous weapon in this game.”
He reached out, brushing a stray lock of hair behind my ear.
“Sing for me,” he said, voice thick with hunger.
I hesitated.
Then, quietly, I began. The first note slipped from my lips like a breath of air, soft and trembling. Vexx’s eyes darkened, fixating on me as if the sound was the only thing keeping his wild heart tethered.
“Sing,” he whispered, voice low and demanding.
I let the melody flow, fragile, haunting, like a thread weaving through the thick air of the penthouse.
Halfway through, his wolf broke free.
Before I could blink, he was on me, strong and urgent, pinning me against the cold piano.
His claws shredded the sheet music as he growled, “Sing for me, little siren.”
Fear flooded me, a high, piercing note escaping my throat.
Vexx collapsed atop me, trembling, his golden eyes closing, his wolf’s breath hot against my skin.
“Gods,” he gasped. “You’re a force... I can’t resist.”
I barely breathed, heart hammering, caught in a wild dance of power and surrender neither of us understood.
And in that moment, the line between hunter and hunted blurred forever. Days later, I sat in the penthouse, the black velvet choker tight around my neck like a brand I couldn’t erase. Vexx was gone, off to deal with some syndicate business, but the weight of what I’d learned pressed down harder than ever.
I flipped through a worn photo album I’d found hidden in one of the drawers. Pictures of my brother. Of me as a child. Us laughing, singing lullabies, his arms around me like I was his whole world.
But the truth was darker.
One photo caught my eye, my brother with Grell, the scarred man from the auction deal. Their smiles too knowing, their eyes cold.
He’d known.
All these years, he’d known I was different.
He’d known about my siren gift.
And he’d sold me anyway.
A rush of betrayal hit me like a wave.
My voice caught in my throat. “Why?”
I whispered the question to the empty room.
The answer wasn’t coming.
But I knew this wasn’t just about money.
It was a weapon.
And my brother had handed me over like a loaded gun.