Page 9 of Knot Heirs: Serenity's Reign

He ended the call and tossed the phone onto the leather sofa, the soft thud punctuating the finality of his words. Marcus Vale—Serenity's father, his longtime rival, the man whose empire threatened to encroach on Castellano territory—was gone. The knowledge sat like lead in his gut, not from remorse but from anticipation of what would follow.

Darius moved to the bar and poured three fingers of whiskey, downing it in one burning swallow. Vale's death had been inevitable—a calculated move in the territorial chess game that defined Detroit's underworld. What hadn't been calculated was Serenity's unexpected presence in his life, in his bed. The timing was catastrophic.

"Fuck," he muttered, setting the glass down with controlled precision. The scent of her lingered in the room—that distinctive omega sweetness mixed with something uniquely Serenity, something that made his alpha instincts roar to life.

~SERENITY~

Serenity stepped into the elevator,her fingers still hovering over the strange text message. The doors closed with a soft hiss, sealing her away from Darius's penetrating gaze. She exhaled slowly, allowing herself to sag against the mirrored wall.

"Your father needs you. Come now." The words glowed accusingly from her screen.

"My father hasn't needed me for twenty-six years," she muttered, thumb hovering over the delete button. Yet something stopped her—an inexplicable tug of intuition that had served her well in boardrooms and business deals.

The elevator began its descent, the subtle drop in her stomach echoing the unease growing within her. Detroit's skyline blinked through the glass walls of the elevator shaft, lights blurring like warning signals.

She straightened her dress, willing her heartbeat to slow, to return to the calculated rhythm that had served her before Darius Castellano had pinned her against his wall. Before his hands had?—

Her phone vibrated again. A different number this time.

"Vale Empire stakeholders emergency meeting. Attendance mandatory for all heirs. 8 AM tomorrow."

Serenity froze, golden eyes widening in the mirrored walls of the elevator. Emergency meetings were never called without her father's direct authorization.

The elevator doors opened to the lobby, but Serenity remained motionless, the two messages suddenly connecting in her mind like pieces of a dangerous puzzle.

"Ms. Vale?" The doorman's voice broke through her thoughts. "Would you like me to call your car?"

She stepped out, nodding mechanically. "Yes, thank you."

As she walked across the marble floor, her heels clicking a rhythm that seemed to echo the accelerating pace of her thoughts, Serenity couldn't shake the feeling that somethingfundamental had shifted in the world above her—in that penthouse where Darius Castellano now stood alone, perhaps still watching her departure.

The night air hit her face as she exited the building, carrying with it the distinct scent of approaching rain and something else—something that made her omega senses bristle with warning.

Change was coming. And whatever game she and Darius had been playing had just acquired new, deadly rules.

The doorman hailed her car, and Serenity slid into the leather backseat with practiced grace despite the turmoil churning inside her.

"Home, Ms. Vale?" her driver asked.

"Yes, Anthony," she replied, her voice steadier than she felt. "The downtown penthouse."

As the car pulled away from the curb, Serenity stared out at Detroit's nightscape—a city of sharp contrasts, much like her relationship with the Alpha she'd just left. The skyline glittered with promise while shadows lurked in every alley. Her father's empire had shaped these streets more than most citizens would ever know.

Her phone vibrated again. Darius.

We aren't finished.

Three simple words that sent an unwelcome shiver down her spine. She tossed the phone into her purse without responding.

"Bastard," she muttered under her breath.

"Everything alright, Ms. Vale?" Anthony asked, eyes flicking to the rearview mirror.

"Just Detroit traffic," she deflected smoothly. "Never changes."

What did change was the way her body still hummed from Darius's touch, her omega instincts betraying her carefully constructed defenses. She absently touched the spot on her neckwhere his scent lingered—where his teeth had nearly broken skin.

"That'll leave a mark," she whispered to herself, adjusting her collar to hide the evidence.

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