HANA'S POV
I woke up to darkness and the worst headache of my life.
My mouth tasted like cotton. My wrists hurt. And I was cold—so cold my teeth were chattering.
Where was I?
I tried to move and couldn't. My hands were tied behind me, rope cutting into my wrists. My ankles were bound to a chair. Panic slammed into me like a freight train.
"Help!" I screamed. "HELP!"
"No one can hear you, Miss Min."
A light clicked on, blinding me. I squeezed my eyes shut, then forced them open.
A man stood in front of me. Tall, expensive suit, perfectly styled hair. He looked like he belonged in a boardroom, not... wherever this was. Some kind of warehouse, maybe? Empty and echoing.
"Who are you?" My voice shook. "What do you want?"
"My name is Daniel Cross." He smiled, but it was cold. Like a snake. "And I want what you are."
My heart hammered. "I don't understand—"
"Don't you?" He moved closer, and I pressed back against the chair. "Come now, Hana. Surely you've felt it. The exhaustion that never goes away. The strange dreams. The way you nearly set things on fire when you're angry."
How did he know about that?
"You're confused," he continued. "Lost. Because dear Kieran hasn't told you the truth yet, has he? About himself. About this world. About you."
"I don't know what you're talking about!"
"You're a phoenix, Hana. A shifter. The rarest creature in our world." His eyes gleamed. "And you're worth more than you could possibly imagine."
Phoenix. Shifter. The words didn't make sense. This man was insane.
"Let me go," I said, trying to sound brave. "My boss will notice I'm missing. He'll call the police—"
Daniel laughed. "Your boss? Oh, darling. Kieran already knows you're missing. In fact, I sent him a lovely photo of you twenty minutes ago. He should be here soon."
My stomach dropped. "You... you sent him a photo?"
"Of course. How else was I supposed to lure him here?" Daniel checked his watch. "Any minute now, actually. And when he arrives, we'll have a little negotiation. His company for your life. Simple, really."
"You're crazy!"
"Perhaps. But I'm also very, very rich. And phoenixes, my dear, are walking gold mines. Your tears can heal any wound. Your blood can extend life. Your ashes..." He leaned down until his face was inches from mine. "Your ashes can bring the dead back to life. Do you understand now? You're not human. You're a miracle. And I'm going to own you."
Terror flooded through me. This couldn't be real. Phoenixes weren't real. Shifters weren't real.
But then I remembered this morning. Kieran's eyes flashing gold. The strange ears I'd seen sprouting from his head. The impossible heat of his skin.
Oh God.
"What is Kieran?" I whispered.
Daniel smiled. "He didn't tell you? How disappointing. Kieran Ashford is an alpha wolf shifter. One of the strongest in the city. And you, sweet Hana, are his fated mate."
Mate. The word echoed in my head.
"That's why he's been so... possessive," Daniel continued. "So controlling. He knew what you were from the moment he met you. He's been waiting for you to awaken, to become what you're meant to be." He straightened. "But he waited too long. And now you're mine."
Footsteps. Running. Someone was coming.
Daniel smiled wider. "Right on time."
The warehouse door exploded inward with a bang that made me scream. And there, in the doorway, stood Kieran Ashford.
But not the Kieran I knew. This Kieran was... different. His eyes were blazing gold. His hands had long, sharp claws. And when he snarled, I saw fangs. Actual fangs.
"Let. Her. Go." His voice was deeper, rougher, barely human.
"Or what?" Daniel asked calmly. "You'll attack me? In front of your precious human mate? Show her what a monster you really are?"
Kieran's eyes found mine across the warehouse. For one moment, I saw pain there. Deep, terrible pain.
He thought I'd be afraid of him.
And I was. But not in the way he thought.
"Hana," he said, and his voice broke on my name. "I'm sorry. I should have told you. I should have—"
"How touching," Daniel interrupted. "But we're here to negotiate, not confess our feelings. Here's my offer, Ashford: sign over Ashford Industries to me, along with all your pack territories, and I'll let her live."
"No," I said immediately. "Kieran, don't—"
"Done," Kieran said.
My heart stopped. "What?"
"I said done." Kieran's claws retracted slightly. "I'll give you everything. The company, the territories, all of it. Just let her go."
"Kieran, no!" I struggled against the ropes. "Don't do this! Not for me!"
He looked at me, and his expression made my chest ache. "I'd give up everything for you, Hana. Everything."
Daniel clapped slowly. "How romantic. Very well, we have a deal. My lawyers will draw up the papers immediately—"
"But first," Kieran interrupted, "you let her go. Right now. Untie her."
"I don't think so. She stays with me until the papers are signed and filed. Insurance, you understand."
Kieran's eyes flashed. "That wasn't the deal."
"The deal is whatever I say it is." Daniel pulled out a knife—silver, gleaming. "Unless you'd like to watch her bleed?"
Everything happened at once.
Kieran moved impossibly fast, crossing the warehouse in seconds. But Daniel was faster. He pressed the knife against my throat, and Kieran froze mid-step.
"Ah, ah, ah," Daniel warned. "One more move and I cut her open."
The knife was cold against my skin. I could barely breathe.
Kieran's whole body trembled. "Please," he whispered. "Please don't hurt her."
"Then behave." Daniel smiled. "You know, this would all be so much easier if she would just awaken already. A dormant phoenix is valuable, but an awakened one? Priceless."
"She's not ready," Kieran said desperately. "If you force it, you'll kill her!"
"Perhaps. Or perhaps the threat of death is exactly what she needs to trigger the transformation." Daniel's knife pressed harder. I felt a sting, felt warm blood trickle down my neck.
Kieran roared—an actual animal roar that shook the walls.
And something inside me... woke up.
Heat. Sudden, explosive heat flooded through my body. It felt like I was burning from the inside out. I screamed.
"Yes!" Daniel breathed. "That's it! Transform!"
But I couldn't control it. The heat was too much. Too intense. My skin felt like it was melting. My bones felt like they were breaking and reforming. Pain. So much pain.
Through the agony, I heard Kieran: "HANA! Fight it! Don't let it consume you!"
But I couldn't fight. The heat was taking over, burning away everything I was, everything I'd been—
Golden flames erupted from my skin.
Daniel screamed and stumbled backward, dropping the knife. The ropes binding me turned to ash. The chair caught fire.
I stood, and I wasn't me anymore. I was fire. I was heat. I was rage and pain and power.
Wings. I had wings. Massive, burning, golden wings spreading from my back.
I looked down at my hands and saw flames dancing across my skin, but they didn't hurt. They felt... right. Like they'd always been there, waiting to be released.
"Impossible," Daniel whispered, backing away. "You're... you're magnificent."
Kieran was staring at me with wonder and fear. "Hana?"
I opened my mouth to answer, but what came out wasn't words. It was a sound like a bird's cry mixed with crackling flames. A phoenix's call.
And then the pain hit again, worse than before. My vision went white. I was burning too hot, too bright. I was going to explode, to destroy everything—
Strong arms wrapped around me. Cold. Blessedly cold.
"I've got you," Kieran's voice said in my ear. "I've got you. Just hold on."
The cold spread through me, fighting the heat. Balancing it. His wolf and my phoenix, finding equilibrium.
The flames died down. The wings folded. I collapsed against Kieran's chest, gasping.
"That's better," he murmured. "Just breathe. In and out. You're okay. You're safe."
But we weren't safe. Because when I looked up, I saw Daniel Cross smiling. Really smiling.
"Perfect," he said. "An awakened phoenix bonded to an alpha wolf. Do you know what the two of you are worth together? Billions. Trillions." He pulled out a phone. "I'm calling my contacts. The black market will pay anything for you both."
Kieran snarled, but he couldn't let go of me. If he did, I might lose control again.
We were trapped.
And then I heard them. Footsteps. Lots of footsteps. Coming from all directions.
Men in black surrounded us. At least twenty of them. All carrying guns.
"I came prepared," Daniel said smugly. "Did you really think I'd face an alpha wolf alone?"
One of the men raised his gun, pointing it at Kieran's head.
"No!" I screamed.
The heat exploded out of me again, uncontrolled. A wave of fire that spread in every direction.
The men screamed. The warehouse started burning.
And through the flames and chaos, Daniel Cross laughed.
"Yes! More! Show me everything you can do!"
I couldn't stop it. The fire was pouring out of me, destroying everything, and I couldn't stop—
Something cold and sharp pierced my neck.
A dart. I saw Daniel holding a tranquilizer gun.
The world tilted. My vision blurred.
"Kieran," I whispered.
His face was the last thing I saw before darkness took me.
And in that darkness, I heard Daniel's voice: "Sleep well, my little phoenix. When you wake up, your new life begins."