Chapter 6 - The True Alpha
Julian’s face drained of all color. “Kill them! Kill them now!” he screamed.
But before the mercenaries could fire, Mara pressed the button.
The floor beneath the mercenaries didn't explode—instead, a series of high-frequency sonic emitters, hidden in the ancient stone pillars of the cathedral, activated with a deafening, invisible pulse. The mercenaries shrieked, dropping their weapons as their ears began to bleed from the agonizing, localized frequency.
Only Bishop and Lucian, who were standing behind the altar’s thick stone shielding where Mara had positioned them, were unaffected.
“Bishop!” Mara commanded. “Take them!”
The pit bull didn't need to be told twice. He was a streak of gray fury, tearing through the disoriented mercenaries, disarming them and throwing them into utter chaos.
Lucian, despite his injuries, moved with lethal efficiency, shooting the remaining guards who tried to raise their weapons through the agonizing noise.
Within ninety seconds, the cathedral fell silent again, save for the patter of rain and the groans of defeated men.
Julian was on his knees, his ears bleeding, staring up in absolute horror as Mara walked toward him. She didn't look like a waitress. She didn't even look like a human. She looked like an avenging deity of death.
She picked up the silver briefcase, opened it, and calmly injected herself with one of the blue vials. She then turned and walked over to Lucian, gently plunging the second syringe into his neck.
Lucian gasped as the antidote neutralized the poison in his veins, his strength returning instantly.
Mara walked back to Julian, stopping just inches from him. Bishop stood right beside her, his chest covered in the blood of their enemies, looking up at her with devotion.
“Please,” Julian begged, crying, his hands raised in surrender. “Please, Mara. I’ll give you everything. The Vance fortune. The Vanguard. Just let me live.”
Mara looked down at him, her eyes completely vacant of mercy.
“You touched my wrist,” she said softly. “I told you to let go. You didn't.”
She didn't shoot him. Instead, she looked down at Bishop.
“He's all yours, boy.”
Bishop growled, his jaw opening wide as he lunged forward.
One Month LaterThe Black Orchid had been rebuilt, grander and more exclusive than ever.
In the VIP lounge, table nine was permanently reserved.
Lucian Draven sat at the table, sipping his neat whiskey. Sitting right next to him, on a custom velvet cushion, was Bishop. The pit bull wore a sleek leather collar with a silver emblem of a blooming black orchid.
The door to the private room opened, and a woman walked in. She was wearing a stunning, backless emerald silk dress that perfectly hid the faded bullet scar on her side. Her dark hair fell in soft waves around her shoulders.
She didn't carry a tray. She carried nothing but an aura of absolute, quiet power.
As she sat down next to Lucian, Bishop immediately shifted over, resting his massive head on her lap. Mara smiled, her fingers gently threading through his fur.
“The Vance assets have been fully integrated into my shipping lines,” Lucian said, looking at her with a mixture of respect and something resembling affection. “The city is officially ours. No one suspects a thing.”
“Good,” Mara said, taking a sip of Lucian’s whiskey. “Because I was getting tired of wiping down tables.”
Lucian laughed, a rare, genuine sound. He reached over, his hand resting over hers on Bishop’s head.
“To the real boss of this city,” Lucian murmured.
May you like
Mara looked out of the grand glass window, looking down at the sprawling, neon-lit skyline of the city they now owned together.
The waitress had finally stopped hiding. And the world was about to find out exactly why the monster had chosen her.
