iana

ring stared, their eyes drawn to the raw power Caden radiated. He ignored them as if they were furniture. I tried to d

ll of hope. The old clerk, a wizened Beta named Elmsworth, looked up over his spectacles. His eyes widened

ing," Caden said. His tone

s nose. "Of course, sir. The preli

f his suit jacket and produced a slim, black card made of some unident

nal. The screen beeped, and the clerk's face went from professionally placid to pale with what looked like

man? I knew who he was-Caden Sinclair, the billionaire CEO. But knowing a name and standing next to

s broad shoulder blocking my view of the monitor, obsc

meant only for me. "My family has certain privileges

wasn't privilege; this was power on a scale I couldn't co

ed like actual sheepskin parchment, tied with a silver cord. He unrolled them with reverent hands.

" he whispered, h

lowing runes that lined the edges of the contract. This was real. This was happening. For a heartbeat, my hand faltered. The memory of G

sharp as his features

nd smooth, but with an undercurrent of steel

hant smile. I thought of my grandfather, already calculating how to

This was not a chai

ivan-at the bottom of the parchment. The ink flared with a soft, go

signature a bold, autho

th instructed, his vo

over the large, embossed Alliance

rving and strangely pleasant. The light coalesced at our wrists before sinking into our skin, leaving a faint, shimmering

a constant, physical remind

the new mark, a gesture of casual ownership that sent a jolt of pure electricity through

y breath catching in my throat. My heart hammere

epths, but it was gone as quickly as it came. He turned

uickly stamped the documents and handed Caden two small, l

," the cler

ent assistant, who had materialized

reached the massive doors

, turning to face me. "It r

row, waiting for

what might have been a grimace. "The transition of certain responsibilities i

lie, and one that s

The last thing I need is my personal life becoming a distraction." I pushed it a step

o draw a boundary. I expected an argument, a command.

"Inconvenient," he repeated, tasting the word. "Very

a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding. My shoulders,

air rushed in, a welcome relief from the charged atmosphere of the hall. He ges

stry hall behind, bound to a man whose name I had