Chapter 9
1843 Words
Isaldora caught the subtle way he lifted his head, sniffing the air around her. Her brow arched, the barest flicker of amusement curving her lips. Typical werewolf.
She tilted her head, tone light but laced with edge. "You're standing awfully close, Mr. Bane."
His lips curved, slow and dangerous. "Am I?"
The investor, sensing the shift, chuckled weakly and backed away. "Well… I'll let you two get acquainted."
The space between them grew quieter, heavier, though the room still pulsed with chatter and clinking glasses.
Kaelith didn't step back. If anything, he let the silence stretch, his gaze steady on her, unhurried and unapologetic. "You don't like people in your space," he murmured, voice low, "but you haven't moved."
Her lashes lowered, concealing the flicker in her eyes. "Maybe I'm simply being polite."
"I've heard quite a bit about Aether lately," he said at last making some space between them, swirling the amber in his glass. His voice was smooth, measured, but the weight behind it was unmistakable. "Three years, wasn't it? And yet your company moves like it's been established for decades. Partnerships. Expansions. You've set roots in places where most can't even find the door, it's rare to see that kind of momentum."
Isaldora's smile remained calm, practiced. "You've been keeping tabs, Mr. Bane. I wouldn't expect nothing less from a well known name."
He gave an amused shrug holding her gaze, unflinching. "Aether isn't just progressing—it's… astonishing. Especially now that I see, for someone so young."
"Though I would say you are nothing different." she continued smoothly, tilting her glass in his direction. "Bane Technologies and Co. didn't exactly crawl to its throne, did it? You built an empire in less than a decade. Some would call that… unnaturally fast."
The faintest flicker touched his expression—surprise, maybe amusement—but it was gone before it could settle.
Isaldora had heard quite bit about Bane Technologies and Co. It was one of the most high circulating name, with their most advanced technologies and devices.
"Unnaturally fast," he echoed, a quiet laugh under his breath. "Or simply… inevitable."
"Mm," she hummed, her eyes glinting. "A matter of perspective."
For a moment, their smiles mirrored each other—polished, unreadable, edged with challenge.
"My, my. What a scene," a smooth voice cut in from behind, dripping with amusement.
Both Isaldora and Kaelith turned as a tall figure strolled toward them, unhurried, wearing his arrogance like a tailored suit. His cologne was too, strong, sharp and expensive, followed by the lazy grin of someone far too sure of himself.
Isaldora's brow arched at him, he was surely a vampire by the dark aura around him. She noticed Kaelith's jaw tick, and his whole stance harden and sharpen with sudden coldness. The corner of her mouth curved—well, this just got entertaining. Wolves and vamps hadn't mixed well for centuries.
The vampire's eyes slid over her with infuriating ease, lingering as if he had the right. He gave a low whistle. "Careful, darling. That dress could start a casualty report. Hearts dropping left and right."
He leaned a little closer, completely ignoring the man beside her.
Isaldora turned slightly, expression cool as glass. She didn't know him but one thing was clear she didn't like him. "And you are?"
He simply offered a shallow bow, grin never faltering. "Adrien Valemont. Investor. Admirer. And, with any luck—an acquaintance."
Kaelith's shoulders went taut, his gaze narrowing to knives as his grip on the glass in his hand tightened. Somehow he was pissed at the vampire flirting with Isla.
Adrien finally glanced at him, feigning surprise. "Well, well. Fancy seeing you here, Bane." His smirk widened, as if tasting the tension. "Didn't think this would be your kind of crowd."
Kaelith didn't bother to answer. His silence was blade-sharp, his glare enough to speak.
Adrien turned back to Isaldora, extending a hand. "You're breathtaking tonight. Dangerous."
Isaldora stared at his hand, then disregarding it, shifted her gaze to his face, smile curling sharp at the edges. "Then I suggest you keep your distance, Mr. Valemont. For your own good."
She noticed Kaelith's lips almost curving into a smirk as his grip loosen on the glass which she was surprised to see intact.
Adrien only chuckled, pulling his hand back like he didn't mind. "Noted."
The air between him and Kaelith hummed with unspoken challenge, a predator's standoff wrapped in civility.
Isaldora glanced between them, interest cooling, but something else caught her attention—movement at the edge of the hall— a shadow slipping through the edges of the hall.
"If you'll excuse me," she said lightly.
But before she passed Kaelith, she paused. Her eyes met his, slow and deliberate. That invisible pull between them tightened.
"We'll meet again, Mr. Bane," she said softly, her voice carrying something dark, edged with promise. "Soon."
And then she was gone. Kaelith didn't move—gaze fixed on her retreating back.
Isaldora slipped through the guests with practiced ease, her steps deliberate, poised. At the edge of the hall, where shadows pooled, she slowed—sensing a presence behind her.
"Well," came a voice, cool and amused, "hell of a boring party, isn't it?"
She turned, and there he was—Hyden, leader of the elves.
Half in the dark, like always. Loose, old-fashioned clothes draped across his tall frame, hair tied back carelessly, eyes sharp and watchful. The smirk tugging at his mouth was all too familiar. Typical Hyden. Isaldora thought.
Her lips curved, cool and edged. "Didn't expect to see you here."
Hyden's smirk tilted higher. "What can I say? I've grown unpredictable." he said but then his smirk faded, his voice dropping low. "There's something we need to talk about. Now."
Isaldora's answer was only a slight nod, but immediate. She knew if Hyden had shown himself here, then whatever it was, it mattered.
Without another word, she turned with Hyden falling in step beside her as they slipped away into a side corridor opposite to the hall, almost unseen.
Across the room, Kaelith was surrounded by a circle of businessmen, talking to him nonstop. He nodded now and then, but he wasn't listening. His eyes had been locked on Isla and the strange man she was talking to. His face wasn't in view, but Kaelith felt instantly that he wasn't human. And it made something coil tight in his chest.
"Didn't think you'd show up tonight, Mr. Bane," one of the older men chuckled, swirling his glass. "You usually turn down these things."
Kaelith gave a faint smirk, "You never know what might change."
He raised his glass, the drink swirling as his eyes searched the far end of the hall and his eyes hardened. Isla was nowhere in sight now.
"Still single, Mr. Bane?" A sultry voice purred from his left. A woman in a crimson dress, in fact barely covered, slid her hand onto his arm like a snake. "Feels like a crime for someone like you to walk in alone."
Kaelith tilted his head, his eyes falling to the manicured fingers gripping his sleeve. Disgust flickered in his expression, cold and sharp. His wolf growled, pissed.
"What can I say," his tone dropped, smooth and sharp as glass, "I'm always surrounded by desperate women ready to spread their legs. It's just disgusting."
Her smile vanished, draining all the color from her face. She jerked her hand back like it burned.
Kaelith shrugged and then he slightly caught sight of Isla again, slipping away with that man. It was almost a blur.
He downed the rest of his drink, set the glass aside, and, without another word, stepped away without another glance, his stride carrying him in the same direction.
...
Isaldora slipped into the private room—one hardly anyone knew existed.
And why was that? Because Rivadi had booked one of her hotels for his event. And naturally, she knew every corner of it. Every one of her hotels had such a room.
Inside, she saw Lyna sprawled out on a velvet couch, long legs crossed, swirling the rim of her glass with that lazy grace only a siren could pull off. The second her eyes landed on Isaldora, she stood in one fluid motion and dipped into a mocking little bow, lips tugging into a smirk.
Isaldora's jaw tightened at her gesture, but she simply rolled her eyes, ignoring her and walked further in, dropping into a chair opposite without a word. Hyden slipped into the seat beside Lyna, his expression calm but quite serious.
Her gaze slid over both of them, cool and direct.
"So," she cut in, straight to the point. "What are you two doing here?"
Lyna gave a dry shrug, a bitter smile tugging her lips. "Wow. No 'hello'? No 'nice to see you'? You really know how to make a girl feel welcome."
Hyden let out a low chuckle, but there was something sharp under it, like he wasn't really amused.
Isaldora didn't even blink. She wasn't here for games.
Hyden leaned forward slightly, voice calm but carrying weight. "There've been some ripples in our world. Big ones. Besides you, of course… Doomwitch."
Her eyes narrowed at the name, just a fraction.
Lyna added, leaning in. "He's right. The rogues aren't just running wild anymore — they're moving like they've got a purpose. Like someone's pulling the strings."
Isaldora tilted her head, voice flat. "And that's my problem because…?"
Hyden's jaw tensed. "Because there's a pattern. And I think it ties back to what happened in Aetherwyn."
The change in her was instant. She straightened, expression hardening, silver-violet eyes flashing cold fury. The air in the room shifted, cooler, heavier.
"Are you sure?" Her voice was soft but laced with steel.
Hyden hesitated. "Not completely. But the way things line up… rogues, wolves, vamps, even warlocks—working together. It's not natural. And it feels like something darker is moving under all of it."
Elves always had a way of sensing what others missed, that attunement to the deeper currents of the world. Isaldora knew he wasn't speaking lightly.
Lyna's voice broke through softer this time, almost cautious. "There's even a rumor going around…" Her gaze flicked to Isaldora. "…that you're the one leading the rogues."
At that, Isaldora gave the faintest laugh under her breath, lips curling into a dark smirk. "If only they knew."
Hyden leaned back, jaw tight. "Your little trail of c*****e has people talking. You've become… a bit of a bedtime story." He sounded almost grim. "Even I wasn't expecting that."
Isaldora's smirk iced over, her eyes glinting. "Honestly? I could've done worse. I got bored and ended it quickly." She shrugged like it was nothing.
Lyna and Hyden exchanged a look of concern and caution.
"You could at least make it less… gruesome," Lyna said hesitantly. "Tone it down. Maybe stop looking like you enjoy it."
Isaldora's head snapped her way, gaze cutting like glass. "What, you want me to grow a conscience?"
- Writer
