The ride to the penthouse was a blur of silent, high-speed motion. Astra stood in the corner of the private elevator, her damp palms pressed against the cool mahogany paneling. She still smelled like the industrial lemon cleaner from her mop bucket, a scent that felt like a neon sign screaming Imposter in the presence of Dante Sterling.
Dante didn't look at her. He stood at the front of the car, his back a broad expanse of white cotton that seemed to hum with leashed energy. The elevator didn't just move; it surged. Astra felt the pressure in her ears, a physical reminder that she was being ripped out of the "Grey Zone" and dragged into the clouds.
"You're shaking," Dante said. He didn't turn around, but his voice was like a physical touch, vibrating through the small space.
"I'm cold," Astra lied. Her teeth were actually chattering because her wolf, the broken, silent thing in her chest was pacing. It hadn't stopped since Dante touched her. It wanted to reach out and scent the air near his neck. It wanted to whine for his attention.
"You're a terrible liar, Astra," Dante murmured. The elevator doors slid open with a soft hiss. "Get used to the heat. You'll be feeling a lot of it from now on."
He stepped out into a space that made Astra's breath hitch. It wasn't just an apartment; it was a fortress of glass and steel. The floor was white marble, polished so brightly it looked like a frozen lake. Floor-to-ceiling windows revealed the city below, a carpet of flickering amber lights that looked like embers in a dying fire. Up here, the smog of the slums was invisible. Up here, the world looked clean.
"This is your home now," Dante said, gesturing to the vast, open space. "My staff has already moved your brother to the Sterling Medical Wing. He's being prepped for the first round of the serum as we speak."
Astra's heart skipped. "You moved him? Without me?"
Dante turned then, his amber eyes hooded and dangerous in the dim light of the penthouse. "The contract began the moment your thumb touched that screen. You surrendered the right to worry about the 'how,' Astra. I provide the 'what.' And right now, what you need is a bath and a dress that doesn't smell like a chemical spill."
He walked toward her, and Astra instinctively backed up until her heels caught on the edge of a plush, cream-colored rug. Dante didn't stop until he was inches away. He reached out, his fingers hooking into the collar of her baggy janitor's shirt.
The contact sent a jolt of electricity straight down Astra's spine. Her skin burned where he touched it. It wasn't just heat; it was a magnetic pull, a biological tether that made her want to lean into him.
"The scent of the slums is all over you," he whispered, his voice dropping into that low, wolfish register that made her knees turn to water. "I want it gone. I want you smelling like my pack. Like mine."
"I'm not a dog you can just wash and put on a shelf, Mr. Sterling," Astra snapped, her fear momentarily replaced by a spark of the old scavenger fire.
Dante's eyes flared gold. A low, rumbling growl started deep in his chest, a sound that made the very air in the room feel heavy and thick. "In this house, you are exactly what I say you are. You tried to steal a life, Astra. Now, you owe me yours."
Before she could respond, a woman stepped out from a side hallway. She was tall, with hair the color of spun platinum and eyes as cold as a winter morning. She wore a dress that probably cost more than Astra's entire neighborhood.
"Dante," the woman said, her voice like cracking ice. "The council is waiting in the study. They aren't happy about the delay. Especially not for... this."
She looked at Astra like she was a piece of filth stuck to the bottom of a designer shoe. Astra felt her wolf bristle. The woman was an Alpha or close to it. The scent of expensive perfume couldn't hide the sharp, aggressive musk of a predator.
"Seraphina," Dante said, his voice turning cold and professional. "Astra is my new personal aide. She is under my protection. If you have a problem with her, you have a problem with me."
Seraphina's nostrils flared. She stepped closer to Astra, sniffing the air with a look of pure disgust. "She's a broken omega, Dante. She doesn't even have a scent. She's a void. A nothing. You're bringing a stray into the Sterling inner circle?"
"She isn't a stray," Dante said, his hand moving to the small of Astra's back. The heat of his palm through her thin shirt felt like a brand. "She's a secret. One that the other packs don't need to know about yet."
He leaned down, whispering into Astra's ear so only she could hear. "Go with the maids. Do exactly what they say. If you try to run, the serum stops. Do you understand?"
Astra looked into his golden eyes and saw no mercy, only a possessive hunger that terrified her. She nodded slowly.
"Good girl," Dante murmured. He turned to Seraphina, his expression shifting into a mask of corporate steel. "Let's go deal with the council. I have a feeling they're going to hate my new investment."
As Dante walked away, Seraphina lingered for a moment. She leaned in close to Astra, her cold blue eyes narrowed.
"I don't know what game you're playing, little scavenger," Seraphina hissed, the scent of bitter almonds and ozone rolling off her in waves. "But Alphas like Dante don't keep 'nothings' for long. Once he's bored of your pathetic little wolf, I'll be the one to throw you back into the gutter. If there's anything left of you."
She swept past, leaving Astra standing alone in the middle of the massive, cold marble room.
Astra looked down at her shaking hands. She had saved Leo, but at what cost? She was trapped in a golden cage, surrounded by monsters who looked like gods. And worst of all, her own body was beginning to betray her, screaming for the touch of the man who had just bought her soul.
A maid in a crisp black uniform appeared from the shadows. "This way, Miss Astra. The Master has requested the sandalwood soak. He wants you ready for the gala by eight."
The gala. Astra felt a fresh wave of panic. She wasn't just a maid or an aide. She was a pawn in a game she didn't understand, and the board was made of glass that was already starting to crack.