*Chapter 24: Rise of the Fang*
The storm outside Verona was nothing compared to the storm brewing within Queen Elena DeLuca.
After the bloodshed in Moscow, her name was once again feared across continents. But it wasn't enough. Nikolai Trevisan had escaped, and as long as he breathed, her empire remained under threat.
Elena stood before the Crimson Ledger, the blood-inked words repeating in her mind:
*"To defeat the serpent, one must become the fang."*
She knew what it meant now. To win this war, she couldn't just rule from her throne.
She had to hunt.
***
Two nights later, deep beneath the DeLuca Estate, Elena stepped into a sealed vault. Inside was a weapon forged decades ago—a blade known only as *Seraphis*, created by her grandfather and hidden from the world. It was said to be the symbol of the true head of the Order—the one who could bring both judgment and justice.
As she picked up the blade, it glowed faintly in her hand. The old blood that ran through her veins accepted it.
"From this moment on," she whispered, "I am no longer just Queen of Verona. I am the hunter of traitors."
***
At the same time, Nikolai held court in the underbelly of Istanbul, surrounded by his loyal shadows from *The Serpent's Eye*. Their latest victory had weakened the DeLuca's Russian front, but Nikolai was not celebrating.
"She's changing," he muttered. "She's becoming what we feared."
"You mean… like her mother?" one of the shadows asked.
Nikolai's face hardened. "No. Worse."
He had once loved Elena's mother. But Elena was a storm with no mercy, no hesitation. And if she truly awakened the *Fang Protocol*, the world would bleed.
***
Back in Verona, Elena summoned her four trusted heads: Marco, Isabelle, Rafael, and Luca (now recovering).
"I'm activating Operation Fang," she announced.
Marco blinked. "That's... a DeLuca myth."
"Not anymore."
Her plan was clear: dismantle *The Serpent's Eye* from the inside. Take out their financiers, collapse their routes, and draw Nikolai out by cutting off every limb of his network.
But it would require her doing what she swore never to do again:
*Go undercover.*
***
Three days later, Elena walked into a secret auction in Prague, disguised as *Selene Vortini*, a powerful arms dealer.
No one recognized her.
Inside, the walls dripped with gold and sin. Everyone who mattered in the underworld was there—including a man named Arman Valic, Nikolai's trusted lieutenant.
She made contact.
"You're Selene?" he asked.
She smirked. "You're late."
He grinned. "Nikolai would love to meet you. You've made waves."
She leaned in. "Tell him the serpent is coiled too tight. Eventually, it bites itself."
Arman's smile faded. He didn't understand it was a warning.
But soon, he would.
Because Queen Elena was inside the den.
And this time, she wasn't waiting for a war.
She was bringing it.
*To be continued…*
(*Ready for Chapter 25?*)