Chapter 4 Shadows And Secrets

• The master suite was larger than the entire apartment Sienna had shared with her father. A massive four-poster bed made of dark timber sat in the center, draped in heavy, charcoal-silk sheets. A fire crackled softly in a hearth, casting long, dancing shadows across the room.
• Sienna stood by the glass balcony doors, wearing a plush, oversized silk robe that had been left for her. She stared out into the pitch-black forest surrounding the estate. The rain had slowed to a steady, rhythmic patter, but the fog rolling off the mountains made the trees look like a wall of ghosts.
• She glanced at the grandfather clock in the corner. 11:45 PM.
• Fifteen minutes until the midnight deadline her father had been given. By now, Enzo Romano had received the twenty million dollars. The debt was settled, but the cost felt heavier than the money.
• A soft knock at the door broke her thoughts.
• "Come in," Sienna said, turning around.
• The door opened, and one of the young women from the foyer entered, carrying a silver tray with a bowl of steaming broth and fresh bread. She didn't look up, keeping her eyes fixed firmly on the floor as she set the tray on a small table near the fire.
• "Mr. Lykaios ordered this for you, ma'am," the girl murmured softly.
• "Thank you," Sienna said, taking a step forward. "What's your name?"
• The girl blinked, seemingly surprised by the question. She hesitated before answering. "Elena, ma'am."
• "Elena... where is Dominic?" Sienna asked, looking past her into the empty hallway. "Is he still downstairs?"
• Elena’s posture went instantly rigid. A flicker of anxiety crossed her face, and she tucked her hands behind her back. "The... the Alpha is taking care of matters in the territory. He will not be returning to the main house tonight."
• "Territory?" Sienna frowned, the corporate phrasing sounding bizarre in the middle of a secluded forest. "You mean the corporate offices?"
• "I shouldn't say more," Elena whispered hurriedly, bowing her head deeply. "Please eat, ma'am. The night gets very cold up here."
• Before Sienna could ask another question, Elena practically rushed out of the room, closing the heavy oak door firmly behind her.
• Sienna sighed, rubbing her temples. The air in the room felt thick, charged with the lingering scent of Dominic—pine, rain, and a sharp, metallic edge that made her throat dry. She picked up a piece of bread but found she had no appetite.
• Instead, she walked back to the balcony doors.
• Suddenly, a sound shattered the quiet night.
• It wasn't the wind, and it wasn't the rain. It was a low, mournful howl that echoed from the deep woods. It was followed by another, louder this time, and then a chorus of them—vicious, deep, and terrifyingly close.
• Sienna’s breath hitched. She grew up in the city; she had never heard wolves in the wild. But these didn't sound like ordinary animals. The vibrations of the howls felt heavy, shaking the very glass of the balcony doors, carrying an unnatural authority that made her blood run cold.
• Then, she saw it.
• High up on a rocky ridge overlooking the estate, illuminated by a sudden break in the storm clouds, stood a silhouette.
• It was a wolf. But it was impossibly massive, easily the size of a small vehicle, its shoulders thick and powerful. Even from this distance, Sienna could feel the weight of its presence. The creature threw its head back, letting out a final, deafening roar that sounded less like a wild beast and more like a king claiming his throne.
• Sienna backed away from the window, her heart hammering violently against her ribs.
• She thought of Dominic’s burning touch, his unnatural body heat, his eyes that flashed amber in the dark, and the way everyone in this house bowed to him like a deity.
• *Don't tempt the beast,* he had warned her.
• As the echoes of the howls faded back into the dark forest, Sienna pulled the silk robe tightly around herself. She was safe from the mafia, but as she looked at the heavy door of her bedroom, she realized the terrifying truth.
• She hadn't just married a billionaire. She had walked straight into a monster's den.