Page 1 of Knot Heirs: Serenity's Reign

PROLOGUE: SINS OF MY FATHER

~SERENITY~

"Sign it."

The contract lies between us on the mahogany desk, stark white against dark wood. Three sets of eyes watch me with predatory intensity as I stare at the document that will either save or destroy everything I've fought to protect.

Darius slides the Mont Blanc pen closer, his movement deliberate and controlled. Like everything about him, it's a power play – a reminder that in his world, even the smallest gestures carry weight.

"The terms are simple," he says, his voice carrying that particular blend of authority and disdain that only old money can perfect. "Your father's empire for our protection. A fair trade, wouldn't you say?"

I lift my gaze to meet his, refusing to flinch under the intensity of his stare. The afternoon sun filtering through the floor-to-ceiling windows casts shadows across his features, highlighting the sharp angles of his face and the cold calculation in his eyes.

"And if I refuse?"

Lucian's soft chuckle draws my attention. He lounges in one of the leather chairs, a perfectly tailored Armani suit unable to hide the lethal grace of his movements as he leans forward.

"Then the vultures circling your father's corpse will tear apart everything he built," he says smoothly. "And you'll be left with nothing but his debts and enemies.

"You have until sunset," Ronan adds from his position by the window, his voice rough like gravel. He doesn't bother turning to face me, his attention fixed on the Manhattan skyline. "After that, our offer expires."

Along with me, most likely.

The thought sends ice through my veins, but I keep my expression neutral. Five years of watching my father navigate this world of silk suits and hidden daggers taught me one thing: never let them see you break.

"And what exactly am I signing away?" I ask, though I already know. I've read every line of the contract twice, each word a noose tightening around my neck.

Darius's lips curve into something too sharp to be called a smile.

"Everything," he says simply. "Your father's territories, his connections, his alliances..." His eyes lock onto mine with devastating intensity. "And you."

I rise slowly from my chair, my fingers trailing along the edge of the desk as I move. The contract follows me like a shadow, a constant reminder of the choice before me.

"My father always said deals made in blood last forever," I say quietly, studying each of them in turn. "Is that what you're offering? Blood bonds and broken promises?"

"We're offering survival," Darius corrects, his tone clipped. "Which is more than anyone else will give you once word spreads that Marcus Vale's only heir is an unmated Omega."

The words hit like physical blows, but I refuse to show how deeply they cut. Instead, I pick up the pen, its weight familiar yet foreign in my hand.

"You should know something," I say, my voice steady despite the storm raging in my chest. "My father also taught me that the most dangerous creature isn't the one that bears its teeth first."

I let that sink in as I study the contract one final time.

"It's the one that waits for the perfect moment to strike."

The pen hovers over the signature line as three sets of eyes watch my every move. In this moment, balanced on the knife's edge between survival and ruin, I make my choice.

The contract that will bind me to these Alphas...

Or the war that will destroy us all.

1

FORBIDDEN HEAT

~SERENITY~

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

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