The holographic map of the Shadow Syndicate still pulsed ominously red, a digital wound on the face of the world. Zayn stared at it, his fists clenched, the echoes of Aria's terrified scream a fresh, searing brand on his soul. He had sworn to protect her, to build a future free from the shadows that had devoured their family. Now, those same shadows had reached for her, proving that no amount of power or security was truly absolute. Thorne. The Syndicate. They made their gravest mistake. His resolve hardened into an unyielding, primal fury.
The soft chime of his office door cut through the silence. Zayn didn’t need the system to tell him who it was. Only one person would dare interrupt his wrath, and only one person possessed the unique blend of desperation and entitlement to bypass his m
