AIDEN's POV
The night was heavy, suffocating. The air seemed to press against my skin, thick with the tension of what was about to unfold. I stood alone in the shadows of the warehouse, my breath slow and deliberate as I scanned the flickering light spilling through the cracked windows. Inside, I could hear them—voices sharp, weapons clinking.
They were waiting for me.
This wasn’t just a fight; it was a statement. Michael had refused to see reason, had dismissed Rosalie as a distraction. But he needed to understand—I’d give everything for her, even my life, if it came to that. If he wouldn’t let me protect her, I’d show him exactly what that refusal meant. Tonight, I wasn’t fighting for his approval. I was showing him the cost of his denial.
The warehouse felt like a trap the moment I
