chapter 2 shadows in the alley

Chapter 2 – The Execution That Failed

Cassian Moretti, heir to the ruthless Moretti syndicate, faces betrayal by his own family. Shot and left to die, he awakens with a strange silver fire in his veins.

Chapter 2 – Shadows in the Alley

The city never slept, but tonight it felt like it was holding its breath. A silence pressed against the walls of the narrow alley where Elena found herself cornered, her pulse racing louder than the distant hum of engines. The cobblestones glistened with last night’s rain, reflecting fractured pieces of moonlight.

She gripped the dagger hidden beneath her coat, fingers trembling—not from fear, but from anticipation. She had been warned that once you entered their world, you could never walk away. The mafia’s shadows were like vines, wrapping tighter until even your breath was no longer your own.

“Running already?” The voice slid through the darkness, low and dangerous, with the curl of a smile hidden beneath its edge. From the shadows stepped Adrian Moretti, heir to the blood empire that ruled half the city. His suit was blacker than the night, his tie loosened like he had just left a battlefield instead of a gala. His eyes—cold silver under the moon—caught hers with a force that rooted her in place.

Elena straightened, refusing to let him see the way her heart faltered. “I don’t run.”

“Good,” he said softly, almost like a whisper meant only for her. “Because I hate chasing.”

The silence between them stretched, heavy with something unspoken. Elena’s mind raced—she remembered the stories, the warnings. Adrian was known as the “Moonlit Wolf,” ruthless, unpredictable, and yet… mesmerizing. Standing this close, she understood why. His presence was a storm, and she was standing willingly at its center.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he murmured, stepping closer. The scent of smoke and steel clung to him. “The moment they see you with me, you’ll be marked.”

“I was already marked the day your family spilled my brother’s blood,” Elena spat, her voice sharp enough to cut.

For the briefest flicker, something human crossed his face—regret, or maybe recognition—but it vanished like mist. He tilted his head, studying her with the quiet intensity of a predator.

“Then why are you still here?” he asked.

The question lodged in her chest. Why indeed? Revenge was the answer she wanted to give, but the truth was tangled, dangerous even to admit. Because somewhere between the blood and the moonlight, she felt a pull she couldn’t explain—towards him, towards the very man who should be her enemy.

Adrian’s hand brushed against her dagger before she could react, his fingers curling around hers. His touch was firm, commanding, yet strangely gentle.

“If you plan to kill me,” he whispered, his lips dangerously close to her ear, “do it now. Because after tonight, I won’t let you go.”

Her breath hitched. The night seemed to still, the city watching from every shadow as Elena realized something she hadn’t wanted to face: the war between vengeance and desire had only just begun

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