The Devil’s Proposal

The streets of the city were alive with the hum of late-night activity, but for Zera, they felt like a prison. The air tasted of smoke and rain, and every step she took echoed her growing unease. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt truly free, and she had no idea where she was running to anymore. The shadows clung to her like old memories, reminding her that she had nowhere to hide.

She had been running for what felt like hours, weaving through alleys and side streets, trying to outrun the dangerous world she had unwittingly been born into. But fate had other plans.

It was then that she saw him. Standing at the end of the alley, his silhouette was a dark, imposing figure. Even in the dim light, she could make out the sharp features of his face—a man carved from stone, with eyes that glowed like embers in the night. His presence seemed to distort the air around him, as if the very fabric of reality bent to his will.

Ares King. The name alone was enough to make even the bravest tremble. He was the mafia king, the one who ruled over the underground with an iron fist and a heart as cold as death itself. There was no one who didn’t fear him. And yet, here he was, watching her with an unreadable expression, as though he knew exactly what was going through her mind.

Zera stopped in her tracks, her pulse quickening.

"What do you want?"

Ares didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he stepped closer, his presence suffocating. His cold eyes locked onto hers, and for a moment, the world seemed to pause. She could feel the power emanating from him, like a force she couldn’t even begin to understand.

"I’ve been watching you, Zera," he said, his voice deep and smooth, like the whisper of a storm. "I know what you want. And I know what you're running from."

She scoffed, her fear momentarily giving way to defiance. "You know nothing about me."

"Oh, but I do," he replied with a sinister smile. "I know you’re desperate, that you’ve been pushed to your breaking point. You have nowhere to turn, no one to trust. But I can offer you a way out." His eyes gleamed with something darker, something that made her skin crawl. "A deal. A contract."

Zera’s throat went dry. "What kind of deal?"

Ares took a step closer, the distance between them shrinking until she could feel the heat of his presence. "A contract that will bind you to me. You’ll become my wife—my queen of the shadows. In exchange, I will give you everything you’ve ever dreamed of. Power. Protection. And, of course, the one thing you crave most: freedom from your past."

Zera’s heart raced, the weight of his words crashing into her like a tidal wave. She had heard rumors—whispers of his cruelty, his unrelenting control over everything that crossed his path. She had been warned about him, but this… this was different. He was offering her a way out, but at what cost?

"Why me?" she asked, her voice trembling despite herself. "Why would you want me?"

"Because, Zera," he said, his voice low and haunting, "you have something most people don’t. You have fire. And I can’t resist the burn."

She felt a shiver run down her spine as his gaze burned through her. It was like a magnet pulling her in, despite every instinct telling her to run. She wanted to say no, to push him away and escape this nightmare. But she knew that was impossible. The world he lived in didn’t allow for escape. And the darker truth was that she didn’t want to run anymore. She wanted the power he offered—she wanted the chance to finally take control of her life.

"You don’t have to agree," Ares continued, his voice almost gentle now. "But know this: there is no escaping me, Zera. You’re already bound to me by fate. All I’m offering is the choice to make it official."

Her mind raced, torn between fear and the overwhelming pull of his presence. Her past had shaped her into someone who couldn’t trust anyone. And yet, this man—this devil who seemed to embody everything dark and dangerous—was offering her something she couldn’t refuse.

But was she falling for a monster… or could she be the light that saved him from the darkness?

As Ares stepped forward, his lips brushing against her ear, he whispered, "Make your choice, Zera. The war between fate and fire has already begun."

And with that, she knew. There was no going back.

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