Page 56 of Knot Heirs: Serenity's Reign

The challenge in his words stirred something in her—anger, yes, but also determination.

"Then teach me," she said simply. "Show me what I need to know to bring down my father's killers."

His smile was slow, dangerous, approving.

"That," he said softly, "is exactly what I intend to do."

An hour later,Serenity stood at the penthouse entrance, her resolve hardened into iron. The choice had been made. Now came the consequences.

"Ready?" Lucian asked, holding the elevator door.

She stepped inside, her chin lifted. "For vengeance? Always."

As the elevator descended, she caught a final glimpse of herself in its mirrored walls—golden eyes with crimson flecks blazing with purpose, shoulders squared against whatever waited below. She was Serenity Vale, daughter of a drug lord, heir to an empire built on blood and shadow. An Omega by biology, but something far more dangerous by choice.

The doors opened to reveal a sleek black car idling at the curb, Darius's imposing figure waiting beside it. Beyond him, the city sprawled in the morning light, unaware of the war about to be waged in its underbelly.

"This alliance," she said quietly to Lucian as they stepped out into the day, "it's temporary. Until I've secured what's mine. Until I understand why my father chose you."

Lucian's hand came to rest lightly at the small of her back, his touch professional but undeniably possessive. "Of course," he agreed smoothly. "Temporary."

But they both knew the lie in those words. The photograph, the letter, her father's final wishes—they spoke of something more enduring. A pack connection that transcended business, that touched on primal instincts neither of them fully acknowledged.

The city lights blurred as they drove away, Serenity's mind racing with revelations and possibilities. An empire to claim. A murder to solve. Three Alpha protectors chosen by her father, each with their own agenda. And herself—an Omega thrust into a world of predators, armed only with her wits and her bloodline.

She would survive this. Thrive in it. Become what her father had always intended:not just an heir, but a queen in her own right.

And if these Alphas proved worthy of the trust her father had placed in them—if they truly could be the pack he'd envisioned—then perhaps a future where loyalty and ambition walked hand in hand awaited them.

11

KEEP DIGGING, MY QUEEN

~LUCIAN~

Lucian watched Serenity through the tinted window of his Bentley as she disappeared into the lobby of her hotel.

Even after she vanished from sight, his gaze remained fixed on the space she had occupied, as if he could still trace the outline of her silhouette against the night.

"Drive around the block," he instructed his chauffeur. "Slowly."

His phone buzzed in his pocket. Darius. He let it ring three times before answering.

"She's made her choice?" Darius's voice was tense, expectant.

"For now." Lucian loosened his purple tie, suddenly feeling constricted. "She's cautious. Intelligent."

"You sound impressed."

"I am." Lucian's lips curved into a private smile. "Marcus didn't exaggerate her capabilities."

A pause on the line.

"And her scent?"

Lucian closed his eyes, inhaling deeply as if he could still catch traces of her in the car. Golden amber and something wilder—night-blooming jasmine with a hint of citrus. Beneathit all, that unmistakable Omega sweetness that had made his Alpha instincts surge with primal recognition.

"Better than anything Marcus described," he admitted. "Purer. More... compatible."

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