A dangerous union

The ballroom was a sea of glittering masks and forced smiles, a gilded cage for the city's elite. The air buzzed with power plays and disguised as pleasantries, but beneath the polished surface lurked something danger and something darker neither of them could ignore .

She saw him before he saw her

Tall, poised, and cold-- he was everything the rumors whispered about. Damian Voss, the heir to the Voss corporation, a dynasty buit on old money and even older secrets. His black suit fit him like a second skin , his golden eyes scanning the room like a predator seeking it's next move.

And he was hers . At least ,on paper.

Serena Vale's grip tightened around the delicate stem of her champagne glass. The weight of the engagement ring on her finger felt heavier than it should. She was no blushing bride-to-be. This wasn't love this was survival. Their family orchestrated this merger--business and blood entwined.

No one in this room room knew what she was.

Just as no one knew what he was.

He turned, finally sensing her gaze . Their eyes met across the room and for a fleeting moment the world around them faded.

Then he smirked, slow and deliberate. A challenge.A warning.

Serena took a measured sip of her drinkHe turned, finally sensing her gaze. Their eyes

met acrOss the room, and for a fleeting moment,

the world around them faded.

Then he smirked, slow and deliberate. A

challenge. A warning.

Sirena took a measured sip of her drink, tilting her head as if she was amused rather than irritated by the silent game they were about to play. Her reflection in the glass was flawless-loose waves of midnight-blue hair, sea-green eyes framed by dark lashes, a sleek black dress hugging her form. A siren in the midst of wolves.

She made her way to him, each step controlled, fluid, as if the room itself bent to her presence. He didn't move until she was standing inches away, hiss scent-cool, crisp, and laced with something sharp-brushing against her senses.

"Damian" She let his name roll off her tongue like a secret meant to be kept. "You're late."

His smirk didn't falter. "I don't answer to you"

She arched a brow. "Not yet, at least"

His amusement flickered, something unreadable passing behind those striking golden eyes. If only he knew how deep this game ran. If only he knew what she was capable of. Then again, if only she knew what he could do. The music shifted into something softer, and a passing voice announced the first dance of the evening. Couples began to take the floor, the room buzzing with expectation.

Damian extended a hand, "Shall we?"

She hesitated-not out of reluctance, but

because the moment she touched him, she felt it. A shift in the air, like the tension before a storm. Her siren instincts flared, warning her that something about him was ....off

He noticed the pause. "Cold feet already?"

Sirena smiled, masking her unease. "Hardly"

She placed her hand in his, and the second their skin met, it was there. An undeniable clash of power.

A jolt ran through her veins, not painful but...

electric. Her pulse quickened. A faint shimmer crawled along her skin-her siren nature responding without permission.

Damian's grip on her hand tightened for a

fraction of a second, his pupils dilating. He felt it too, The way his body stiffened was almost imperceptible, but she was trained to notice the Smallest details, He wasn't normal. Neither was she. He pulled her onto the dance floor, his other hand settling at her waíst, cool through the thín fabric of her dress. Their bodies moved ín sync, but beneath the surface, it was a silent battle.

His grip was firm, his control impeccable-but

she could feel it, something dark and hungry

beneath his refined exterior.

"What are you?" she whispered, so softly that no human could hear. Damian's lips curled at the corners, the barest hint of sharpness behind his perfect smile. "could ask you the same thing"

The waltz continued, but they both knew--this was no ordinary engagement.

This was war.