The room smelled of leather, cold metal, and something darker I couldn't name.
The shadows pooled in corners, alive, stretching toward me like tendrils.
I wanted to run.
I wanted to scream.
I wanted to sink into the floor and disappear.
And yet… I didn't.
Because I knew—tonight, I wasn't just a pawn.
I was the center of the board.
And the game had just begun.
The door burst open before I could blink.
Two figures moved in perfect unison.
Stone.
Wolfbane.
Both men in black, silhouettes slicing through the dim light like predators in a dream I didn't want to have.
Stone's eyes locked on me first, ice cutting through shadow.
"You're mine," he said. No question. No plea. Just a statement that settled like stone in my chest.
Wolfbane's amber gaze flicked between Stone and me, a smirk curling his lips.
"Not if I get there first."
The air became electric.
My pulse was deafening.
My body screamed for a single safe touch—and there was none.
The man who had brought me here—the shadowed figure—stood behind me, silent, cold, unblinking.
"You have two wolves," he murmured.
"And only one prize. Choose wisely."
I froze.
Because I realized then, every instinct, every desire, every fear, was now a weapon.
And I had to use it.
Stone stepped closer, each movement deliberate, precise.
His hand hovered near mine, almost touching, almost claiming, but not quite.
Wolfbane mirrored him, leaning in, heat and danger and sin radiating from every inch of him.
The triangle formed, tight, suffocating.
"Stay out of her space," Stone said, voice low, deadly.
Wolfbane laughed softly, the sound curling around me like smoke.
"Or what? You'll crush me?"
Stone didn't respond.
He simply shifted, a movement so subtle, so commanding, the air seemed to obey him.
Wolfbane's smirk faltered—just for a fraction.
I realized then—I had more power than either of them expected.
I tilted my chin up, heart hammering, and let my gaze drift between them.
"Both of you?" I asked softly.
"Or just one?"
Stone's eyes flickered, wolfish and ice-cold.
Wolfbane's grin widened, sharp and playful, dangerous as a knife.
The shadowed man behind me chuckled softly.
"See?" he said.
"You're already learning the rules."
And then the real game began.
Stone moved.
One step, two steps—closer, closer.
Wolfbane mirrored him, teasing, testing, pushing boundaries.
Every brush of their presence against me sent fire up my spine, hot and dangerous and delicious.
"Which one of you controls the board?" I whispered, almost to myself.
And for the first time, I realized—I was controlling it, too.
Stone's hand brushed mine, deliberate, commanding, sending heat straight to my core.
Wolfbane leaned closer, whispering in my ear, amber eyes smoldering:
"You're mine to tease."
I gasped softly, realizing how badly I wanted both.
Terrified. Excited. Terrified by my own excitement.
The shadowed man stepped forward, placing a hand lightly on my shoulder.
"Enough." His voice cut through the tension like a blade.
"You will not decide tonight. Not completely. But you will learn."
Stone and Wolfbane froze.
Both men, predators to the core, stopped in their tracks.
"You are not theirs," he continued.
"You belong to the game now. And the game… belongs to me."
My breath caught.
Because I understood.
This was bigger than either of them.
Bigger than me.
Bigger than my fear.
And in that realization, a wicked little thrill crawled up my spine.
Because if I could survive this… if I could play my cards right…
I wouldn't just survive.
I would win.
Stone took a slow, deliberate step back, eyes still on me, calculating.
Wolfbane's smirk never faltered, but I saw it—the first flicker of uncertainty.
The shadowed man stepped aside, opening the door to another room.
"Learn," he said simply.
"And maybe, just maybe, you'll decide who survives the next move."
I hesitated, heart hammering, before stepping forward into the unknown.
The triangle behind me remained taut, coiled, dangerous.
And I realized—the real game had only just begun.