Prologue: The Invitation

...The rain fell in heavy sheets, drumming a relentless rhythm against the city streets. Lena pulled her coat tighter around her, the collar scratching against her neck, but the chill wasn’t coming from the storm outside. It was the feeling in her gut—the prickling, undeniable sensation that her life was about to change....

...She had received the invitation three days ago. No sender, no signature—just the wax-sealed envelope with the Blackwell crest embossed in silver. It smelled faintly of leather and something she couldn’t name, something that made her pulse quicken....

...“Come to the estate. Midnight. Alone.”...

...The city around her blurred as she walked, headlights cutting through puddles, people hurrying past her with umbrellas, unaware of the storm she carried inside. By the time she reached the towering gates of the Blackwell Estate, Lena’s heart pounded like a drum in her chest....

...The gates opened silently, almost eagerly, as if the estate itself had been waiting for her. She stepped onto the stone path, each footfall echoing in the cavernous silence. The manor loomed above her, Gothic yet impossibly elegant, windows glowing like amber eyes. She could feel them—watching her—before she even saw them....

...And then they appeared....

...Rafael Blackwell, tall, impeccably dressed, eyes sharp and calculating, standing like a predator surveying prey....

...Caine Voss, leaning casually against a column, dark and dangerous, the faintest smirk tugging at his lips....

...Jaxon Thorne, the charmer, whose presence seemed to pull the very air toward him, an unreadable gleam in his amber eyes....

...Silas Vale, the quiet one, standing in shadow, his gaze steady and unreadable, but Lena felt its weight as though it could crush her without a touch....

...“Lena Moreau,” Rafael said, voice low, velvety, yet cold. “We’ve been expecting you.”...

...Her pulse surged, the warning bells in her mind screaming, yet part of her thrilled at the danger. There was something magnetic about the four of them, something that felt… inevitable....

...“I—” she began, but no words came out....

...Caine straightened, tilting his head, his smirk widening. “Don’t be nervous. You’re safe. For now.”...

...Jaxon stepped forward, bowing slightly with a crooked grin. “Safe is relative, sweetheart. But trust me… you’re exactly where you belong.”...

...Silas remained still, hands clasped behind him. He said nothing, but when his gaze met hers, Lena felt a shiver run down her spine. Quiet. Intense. Dangerous. Protective. Possessive....

...Rafael’s eyes narrowed, sharp as knives. “We have rules here. One step out of line…”...

...“You’ll kill me?” Lena asked, her voice steadier than she felt....

...He smiled faintly, cold and calculating. “Not kill. Break. But perhaps you’ll find the difference inconsequential.”...

...The air seemed to thicken, charged with an invisible electricity that made her skin prickle. Lena wanted to run. But she didn’t. She couldn’t. Something about them—four men, four shadows—pulled her in deeper than fear....

...“This isn’t a game,” Caine said, stepping closer. “But it can feel like one… if you survive it.”...

...She swallowed hard, staring into their eyes—danger, obsession, power, desire—all wrapped into a single force she could neither resist nor escape....

...And in that instant, Lena realized the truth: she had been waiting for them. Waiting for this darkness to find her. And now, there was no turning back....

...The doors of the estate opened behind her with a soft creak, and she stepped inside—into a world she knew would consume her, challenge her, and awaken desires she hadn’t dared to acknowledge....

...Because once the shadows claimed her… she would belong to them entirely....

... ...

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