Chapter 1: A Century of Darkness

One hundred years had passed since the world learned to fear one name.

Thaddeus.

King of Darkness.

The Dark Tribrid.

Entire kingdoms had vanished because of him. Empires that once stood proudly on maps had become forgotten ruins buried beneath ash. Parents frightened their children into obedience by whispering his name.

None of it mattered to him anymore.

Standing alone on the balcony of his penthouse overlooking the glowing city below, Thaddeus silently watched thousands of ordinary people living peaceful lives. Cars filled the streets while bright lights painted the skyline.

None of them knew a monster was watching from above.

A cigarette rested between his fingers as icy winter air surrounded him. The smoke disappeared into the night, just like the memories he spent decades trying to bury.

His life had changed forever on his sixteenth birthday.

That was the day his sealed magic returned.

That was the day he discovered the truth about himself.

His own mother had hidden his power, believing it would protect him from the darkness living inside his soul. Instead, it had become the greatest betrayal of his life.

He never truly forgave her.

The moment his magic awakened, the darkness consumed every piece of kindness he once possessed.

For decades he wandered across continents, leaving destruction behind him.

Mercy became a foreign word.

Fear became his greatest weapon.

Eventually he found the only two beings capable of standing beside him without running.

Ryland.

A savage Alpha werewolf who enjoyed chaos almost as much as Thaddeus himself.

And Orion.

An ancient vampire whose calm wisdom constantly balanced the darkness surrounding his two mates.

Together they became legends.

Three predators.

Three rulers.

Three souls bound by fate.

The sound of the balcony door sliding open interrupted his thoughts.

"You're hiding out here again," a familiar female voice said gently.

Bianca stepped outside carrying another cigarette.

She had known Thaddeus since childhood.

Unlike everyone else, she wasn't blinded by fear whenever she looked at him.

She still remembered the caring boy buried beneath decades of darkness.

"You always find me," Thaddeus said quietly.

"Someone has to."

She handed him the cigarette before folding her arms.

"How much longer are you going to punish your family?"

"I stopped counting years a long time ago."

"Your parents never stopped loving you."

"Love didn't stop them from lying to me."

Silence settled between them.

Bianca looked toward the city lights before speaking again.

"They hid your magic because they were afraid of losing you."

"Instead they lost me anyway," Thaddeus answered without emotion.

She sighed sadly.

"You're destroying yourself."

"Maybe that's exactly what I was created for."

"No," Bianca whispered.

"You're choosing this life."

For the first time that evening, anger flashed across Thaddeus's black eyes.

"Enough."

"Go home, Bianca."

"Not until you promise you'll visit your mother."

"I won't."

"She still waits for you."

"Then she'll keep waiting."

Pain crossed Bianca's face.

"There is still good inside you."

"You're the only person who still believes that."

She smiled weakly.

"Because I've seen it."

Without another word, Bianca turned and disappeared inside the apartment.

A few minutes later, another familiar scent drifted onto the balcony.

"You made her cry again," Orion said while stealing the cigarette from Thaddeus's fingers.

"She asks questions she already knows the answers to."

Orion leaned against the railing.

"She worries about you."

"She shouldn't."

"Everyone who loves you worries."

Thaddeus rolled his eyes.

"You're becoming sentimental."

"Someone has to balance you and Ryland."

A grin finally appeared.

For only a second.

Stepping closer, Thaddeus rested his forehead against Orion's shoulder.

"Stay with me tonight."

Orion smiled softly.

"Always."

Before another word could be spoken, loud footsteps echoed through the apartment.

"Are we leaving or not?" Ryland shouted impatiently.

"I need entertainment before sunrise."

"We're going," Thaddeus answered.

Within minutes, the three mates entered the snowy streets below.

Cold wind swept through the empty sidewalks while the city slowly settled into midnight silence.

"Where exactly are we going?" Ryland asked.

"I need blood," Thaddeus replied simply.

"Then let's hunt."

They wandered through quiet streets searching for criminals rather than innocent victims.

Despite his reputation, Thaddeus rarely fed on those who didn't deserve punishment.

Suddenly...

A desperate scream shattered the silence.

A woman's terrified cry echoed from a nearby alley.

Every instinct inside Thaddeus awakened.

Without speaking, he and Ryland sprinted toward the sound.

Turning the corner, they found a drunken man forcing a young waitress against a brick wall.

"Help!" she cried.

Ryland moved before anyone else.

With one brutal strike, he threw the attacker across the alley.

Bones snapped.

The man barely had time to scream before Ryland finished him.

Silence returned.

The frightened woman collapsed onto the snow, pulling her torn jacket tightly around herself.

Her entire body trembled.

She looked from Ryland to Thaddeus with overwhelming fear.

She knew exactly what they were.

Monsters.

Yet the moment Thaddeus looked into her hazel eyes...

Everything changed.

His heart, which had remained cold for over a century, skipped a single beat.

The intoxicating scent surrounding her filled every corner of his mind.

Nothing had ever smelled so irresistible.

"Impossible..." he whispered.

Ryland slowly looked toward him.

"You feel it too?"

Thaddeus nodded.

He carefully knelt a few feet away from the frightened woman and extended his hand.

"You're safe now."

Instead of accepting it, she slapped his hand away.

"Please... don't hurt me," she sobbed.

"I won't tell anyone what I saw."

"Please let me leave."

Her trembling voice stirred something inside him that had been buried for generations.

Compassion.

Need.

Possession.

"Ours," Thaddeus breathed.

Ryland froze beside him.

"Mate..."

The word echoed through the silent alley.

The woman stared at them in confusion before quickly scrambling to her feet.

Fear won over curiosity.

Without looking back, she ran into the snowy streets.

A small leather wallet slipped from her pocket.

Thaddeus picked it up.

Opening it slowly, he found her identification card.

Evelyn Harper.

He read her name several times before closing the wallet.

A dangerous smile slowly spread across his face.

"We've finally found her," he whispered.

"And this time... I'm never letting fate take her away again."