The salt air of the Atlantic was a stark contrast to the sterile, pressurized scent of OmniCorp's executive floor. Lilith stood at the edge of the sprawling marble foyer, her heels clicking with a rhythmic, predatory sharpness. She didn't look like a guest; she looked like a general surveying a conquered province.
"It's... adequate," Lilith purred, her eyes trailing up the glass staircase. "Though a bit light on the security sigils. I'll have to send over a team to properly ward the perimeter. We wouldn't want any 'pests' sniffing around your new investment, would we, Chase?"
Chase stood by the kitchen island, leaning against the quartz counter. "Sienna handled the wards, Lilith. They're woven into the foundation. And I told you, I'm working remotely today."
Lilith ignored him, her gaze settling on Rixsa, who was lounging on a designer velvet sofa. "Out," Lilith commanded, not even looking at the demoness. "I wish to speak with my Lead Strategist in private."
Rixsa opened her mouth to snap back, but a glance at Chase's tense jaw made her think twice. She gathered her tablet and vanished toward the infinity pool, muttering about "overbearing bosses."
Lilith began to pace the length of the living room, her Alpha aura expanding, filling the massive space with the heavy, intoxicating scent of jasmine and dominance. It was a clear, calculated move—she was marking the mansion as an extension of her territory.
Then, she stopped.
The air in the room suddenly thinned. The warmth of the afternoon sun seemed to retreat from the glass walls. Standing in the doorway of the private gym was Vincent. He had showered, his lavender hair damp and clinging to his forehead, and he wore only a simple white t-shirt and dark trousers. He looked younger, softer—until you looked at his eyes.
He didn't move. He didn't bow. He simply watched her with that wide, echoing emptiness.
Lilith stiffened, her tail lashing once behind her. "And this must be the legendary threat," she said, her voice dropping into a dangerous, velvet register. "The man who thinks he can bring the 'Warrior's Wake' into my city without a permit."
Vincent tilted his head. "Your city?" His voice was melodic, devoid of the fear Lilith was used to inspiring. "I have seen cities older than your bloodline turned to salt in a single afternoon. To me, this is just a pile of glass on a rock."
Lilith's eyes flashed a violent, burning red. She stepped toward him, her presence flaring, a physical weight that usually brought lesser beings to their knees. "You are a guest in Chase's home, but you are a subject in my domain. I am the Alpha of OmniCorp, boy. You will learn to lower your gaze when I enter a room. Have you no respect for your elders child"
Vincent didn't flinch. He didn't even blink. He took a single step forward, and the temperature in the room plummeted. The "Void" within him didn't clash with her aura; it simply absorbed it. It was like watching a candle flame flicker as it was held over a bottomless well.
"I have stood before the High Council of the Heavens while they screamed for my head," Vincent whispered, his voice vibrating in the floorboards. "I have killed things that called themselves 'Alphas' before your ancestors learned to walk upright. You smell of power, little demon, but you taste of insecurity. You seek to own the man who stands beside you because you know, deep down, he is the only thing keeping your world from falling apart."
Lilith let out a low, guttural growl, her claws sliding out from her manicured fingertips. "You dare—"
" That's Enough!"
Chase was between them in a heartbeat. He didn't use a weapon; he simply projected a wall of pure, calibrated Essence that forced a wedge between the two clashing powers. He looked at Lilith with a cold, professional steel. "He is my guest, Lilith. Not your employee. Not your subject. If you can't respect the rules of this house, you can leave."
Lilith's chest heaved, her eyes darting between Chase's firm expression and Vincent's hollow stare. The silence was agonizing. Finally, she retracted her claws, though her aura remained jagged and sharp.
"You're protecting him," she hissed, looking at Chase. "You're choosing this... ghost over your duty to me."
"I'm choosing my home over your ego," Chase corrected. "Go back to the office, Lilith. We'll talk about the 'Lattice' reports tomorrow. In a professional setting."
Lilith stared at him for a long moment, a flicker of genuine hurt crossing her face before she masked it with a sneer. She turned on her heel, her silk skirt whipping around her legs.
"Enjoy your fortress, Chase," she called over her shoulder as she walked toward the front door. "But remember—the bigger the house, the more places there are for the shadows to hide."
As the front door slammed shut, Vincent let out a soft, tired sigh. "She is a fire that needs constant feeding, Vance. You are going to burn your hands trying to keep her contained."
"I've survived worse burns," Chase said, exhaling as the tension finally left the room. "But for now, I think we need to talk about setting some boundaries before she decides to move in."
Turning to Chase, Vincent asked point-blank, "Are Lilith and Rixsa your lovers? You smell like them."
Chase felt a jolt of genuine shock, his composure slipping for a split second. "No, they are not. Rixsa is a friend, and Lilith... our relationship is strictly professional," he replied, stunned by the bluntness of the question.
"Well, you should tell them that," Vincent said, his twilight eyes fixed on Chase. "Because they both have feelings for you, and Lilith might not like to share. I recommend telling her that she is not your Alpha. The only way to stop someone with an ego like hers is to become the Alpha and take charge—making her listen to your commands with no exceptions."
"I think you misunderstand our situation, Vincent," Chase said, shaking his head. "We are not like that. I don't have feelings for them."
"If you did not, you would not have them here," Vincent countered. The younger-looking man walked slowly toward the glass wall, looking out at the sea. "A man like you could end your relationship with Lilith and lose nothing from it. And being as close to Rixsa as you are... that is not what 'friends' do."
Chase stood frozen, not knowing how to respond. The words hung in the salt air, stripping away the excuses he had built over the last few months. Was he really falling for them? Was the "Warrior" finally finding something worth more than a contract?