Chapter 1 - The Silver Wolf's ShadowThe ink of my signature was barely dry on Dominic Rosetti’s heavy mahogany desk when the illusion of safety shattered. The private contract, binding my life to the Rosetti estate in exchange for cleared debts and a fighting chance against the ticking bomb in my chest, suddenly felt less like a lifeline and more like a death warrant.
"You're bleeding on the carpet," a voice cut through the heavy silence of the study.
I looked up. Standing in the doorway was a man whose tailored suit couldn't hide the lethal grace of a predator. Marcus, Dominic’s head of security. His eyes were cold, fixed entirely on the fresh smear of blood staining my wrist—blood that didn't belong to me, but to little Lily.
"It's nothing," I muttered, pressing a hand against my chest where a dull, familiar ache throbbed. The doctor had given me painkillers for the undiagnosed mass, but they were useless against the terror clawing at my throat.
Dominic didn't look up from his monitor, where security feeds of the sprawling Chicago mansion flickered across three massive screens. "Marcus. Have the medical wing run a full panel on him. If he drops dead of a heart condition or internal hemorrhage while guarding my daughter, the deal is void."
"Yes, Boss." Marcus stepped forward, his grip on my arm not a suggestion, but an iron clamp. "Move."
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As I was led down the sterile, high-tech corridors toward the medical wing, a cold realization settled over me. Dominic believed I was an innocent bystander who stumbled into a tragedy out of the goodness of my heart. But as I passed a row of domestic staff whispering near the grand staircase, I caught a fleeting glance—a look of recognition mixed with absolute dread—that made my stomach drop.
Someone in this fortress had betrayed Lily. And whoever it was, they knew I was now standing in their way.
